Why won't a shower wash away everything?
by Cid Dante
Summary: Six wants nothing more than to have a shower and forget that the world exists but EVO missions and white Knight say otherwise. He runs himself down and has Holiday and Rex worrying. Who'll be the one to get him to finally rest? Holix
1. missed kisses

**Disclaimer: i do not own any of the poor souls in this. Man of Action do.**

**Forgive me if this sucks...it's been a while since I've wrote! It's rated high at the moment due to some scenes that are gonna be in it. Enjoy =)**

He was stiff and sore. Every bone in his body felt like he had been slammed through every wall in Providence headquarters and then, just for good measure, pushed through the walls in Van Kleiss's castle. He couldn't stand still for longer than a few moments before painful cramps made themselves known.

Bruises were forming on bruises and he was damn sure that he was getting one on his backside from where he had landed awkwardly from dodging a blow from the attacking EVO.

It was a relief that he was standing though he decided, another relief was that he was wearing his trademark shades in the dimly lit control room. The huge screen in the middle of the room was showing the details of the EVO they had just defeated and in one of the smaller side screens, the leader of Providence was regarding the data.

He closed his eyes briefly for a moment, allowing his world to go dark and slightly less painful before he felt someone placing a hand on his forearm. He didn't need to look as to who would have the gall to even do that.

It was either going to be a certain female doctor or a certain hot headed young man who could create amazing nano machines from his body.

"Are you alright?" Doctor Holiday's soft voice asked him quietly enough so no one would hear.

"I'm fine," Agent Six replied, "Nothing a shower won't cure."

A shower. A long, hot shower sounded like heaven. The soft, warm welcoming embrace of his double bed seemed to go hand in hand with the idea as well. He wanted a few hours to himself but he knew that it was going to be difficult.

If you got a few peaceful hours to yourself in Providence, then it meant you were dead or pretty low on the food chain.

"I want you to come to my office after you get something to eat," Holiday ordered quietly, "It's time for your medical I think."

"I had a..." Six looked at the pretty doctor and saw that she wasn't in the mood for being lied to, "Fine."

Holiday blinked her pretty green eyes at him and smiled, "Really? That easily?"

Six pushed his shades up a little further up his slender nose, "Really."

"Twenty minutes then," Holiday offered him, "The quicker we get it done, the quicker you can get some shut eye."

_Twenty minutes? I'm not hungry but it gives me time to shower and get myself cleaned up, _Six decided.

Six noted that Holiday's hand was still on his arm, luckily, he was standing in a dark area where the lighting didn't quite reach. He lowered his gaze down and wasn't sure why he didn't seem to mind the contact. He was normally running for the hills at this point whenever he was faced with personal contact with the pretty doctor or when they were both making awkward conversation.

He was still keenly aware that White Knight was barking orders from the huge screen now. Six knew that he didn't need to be here for that, he was practically allowed free reign to do whatever he wanted to do in base as long as he did his other task of looking after Rex Salazar and getting on with his own missions of EVO destruction.

His mind went to Rex and as to where the young man was at present. He should be here for the debriefing. The boy had saved the day yet again after getting his ass kicked seven ways from Sunday by an EVO that had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed that day. Six had joined the fight when Rex had been knocked out cold for a few moments, the teen had been moments away from becoming dinner to the EVO. Six had tore through the creature, pushing Rex out of the way before the poor soul turned on the green suited man.

Six almost had his ass handed to him before back up arrived in the shape of the Keep and the rest of Providence. Rex had used the distraction the Keep had caused to cure the EVO. The teen almost passing out after telling the errant nanites in the EVO to deactivate.

The man the EVO had been slowly came into shape, the terrified soul staring at Rex and Six like he hadn't just been trying to kill them. The look always made Six uncomfortable, the mixture of uncertainty and fear. It would be a matter of time before the man remembered what it was like to be an EVO.

The clean up crew dealt with things like that. The crew would locate the man's family and get him back home, discreetly checking up every few days to ensure that the man wouldn't turn again.

Six removed his arm from Holiday's grasp, ignoring all members in the room. He didn't need to excuse himself audibly from the meeting, Knight knew he rarely stayed when people were getting cussed out. His back threatened to seize up and the agent subtlety tried to straighten it before it went into mild annoyance to unbearable pain.

He tried to walk as smoothly as he could out of the control room, a painful cramp was wanting to work its way from his back down to his left thigh so every step was a complete struggle He ignored it as best as he could and was relieved that he had actually made it out of the room.

Soft snores broke what little train of thought he had as he heard the door close behind him. Six looked around briefly and spotted a pair of long legs partially hidden by a small alcove. The snores were coming from there. Rex had fallen asleep just shy of the control room, the teen looked peaceful but covered in dirt and dust from the fight, a faint bruises was healing on his temple but the kid's own nanites were healing his body.

Six raised an eyebrow, if the teen looked like that then he must look like hell had decided to pay a visit. The agent regarded Rex for a moment before gently nudging Rex's ankle with his foot. No answer but Six really didn't expect an answer. It didn't stop him from nudging him again though.

It was clear that the teen wasn't going to wake up any time soon, Rex was out for the world. Six frowned as an agent walked by him, briefly giving him and the boy a look before walking into the mission room.

Six sighed softly, "You could have at least made into the control room."

He give him one more gently nudge but simply got a mumbled answer for his trouble. Six shook his head and decided that he wasn't going to risk waking the teen up. A fatherly thought crashed though his mind, he couldn't really leave the boy on the floor but in his present state, he couldn't lift the teen.

Six settled on a compromise, he shrugged out of his green jacket and winced as his shoulder and ribs protested at the action. He draped the article of clothing over Rex and was slightly surprised to see him snuggle into the article of clothing.

It was surprising to see the teen quite so happy to snuggle into his dirty jacket but Six raised an eyebrow, dismissing his surprise. The teen had a habit of breaking into his room and stealing one of his suits . Six never did get a reason as to why the teen did though, simply accepting it.

The agent of Providence took a few moments looking at Rex to go over what had happened in the fight. It had been a standard mission. A simple kill, contain or cure so why had it went ass over head?

The EVO had tried to use it's size and strength against the agents. It had went on a rampage down town and was not stopping to take into consideration that other creatures and souls lived there. Rex had been sent in first to cure it but the teen had gotten himself over cocky and had gotten his ass handed back to him.

Six had went into the fray when the teen was out cold and had received the same treatment. When Rex had got to his feet, he had summoned his smack hands and proceeded to attack the EVO but the teen had simply gotten smacked for his trouble. The Latin teen had been slammed into Six at such force that both men had the wind knocked out of them for the best part of two weeks.

Rex pushed himself off Six and a crack came from one of them. Six assumed it had been the teen 's machine arms cracking. He hadn't realised it was him until he moved, he'd fought back a vile swear. Had Rex been thrown that hard against him to break a rib?

Six pushed the mission out of his mind and decided on leaving Rex sleeping on the floor. Doctor Holiday would no doubt get the teen into his bed when she came out of the room. Bobo was no doubt roaming the halls and would help.

"Heard you and the kid got spanked," Bobo's gruff voice filled the corridor and he tried to fight back laughter.

The monkey walked into view and caught sight of the green coat covering , the simian said nothing. Six was a tough human to figure out but Bobo knew that the man had a soft spot for the EVO kid, though Six would create pain for those who actually said those words to his face.

"The EVO was slightly tougher than we thought," Six coolly replied as he walked away from Rex and the monkey, "but nothing we couldn't handle."

The ninja agent could swear that he could hear his shower and bed calling to him like a siren in the distance. He could imagine the hot water from the shower soothing his battered body. The soft and smooth skin of Holiday as she rubbed the shower gel over...

Six stopped himself from stalling in his walk, where did that thought spring from? Holiday should never have entered his mind but she had this talent for doing so. He was simply tired, that was the only reason as to why she had came into his mind.

Six knew that the good doctor was a very attractive female but she was a complete mystery to him. All of the opposite sex were, they were dangerous, kind, cruel and safe. They were every cliché in the book. He knew a woman who was more dangerous than him but she still held that mystery that Six had never once been able to puzzle out.

He pushed Holiday out of his mind, he didn't need to think about her. He was shattered and he began to wonder if Breach had popped into the base and rearranged headquarters without him knowing. Six frowned, when did he live so far away from the control room?

The agent knew that he was not going to be enjoying the next few days he decided. He knew that he was going to be stiff and training with Rex would no doubt push his normally stoic attitude to to the limit. Would he be able to take a few days off as personal?

A few moments later, Six was alone in his room. He turned to the door and keyed in the code to ensure that his door was locked. It was habit, he knew that he wasn't going to be attacked in his room but, old habits died hard.

The bed was pressed tightly against the wall and his drawers underneath the standard mirror that was in every room in the base. His wardrobe was still shut and everything was still exactly as he had left it this morning. Breach hadn't been moving the room around then. The ninja allowed a yawn to escape his lips and he slowly took off his shades. He had avoided looking at any reflected surfaces until now. He took a step forward and his lip twitched in mild annoyance.

A nasty cut sat above his right eyebrow and would explain as to why he had been in pain every time he arched it and a large ugly bruise was taking shape on his right cheek. His lips fared no better, a deep cut was clear on his bottom lip.

Was that why Holiday had been taking a keen interest in him? He looked awful, his white shirt was dirty and had specks of blood and his tie looked frayed. His green trousers were filthy, he didn't look like he was one of the most dangerous men on the planet at present, he looked like a street bum who fought for his next meal.

"I don't get paid enough," Six said to no one in particular as he peeled off his shirt, "Perhaps I could do with a vacation."

A laugh escaped his lips, right, as if White Knight would allow to happen. Six was a valuable agent to have and throughout his entire career with Providence, he had never once had a holiday. He was beating Holiday on that front. He had built up over seven years worth of personal time.

He avoided looking at the mirror with his shirt off, he could only imagine what his chest looked like. He walked over to the shower and turned it on, it took a few moments for it to completely heat up to the temperature he enjoyed. Six growled slightly as his ribs made themselves felt again.

_Damn the boy, _Six tenderly prodded his ribs, _I'm gonna release that rabbit in our next training session._

He fought back the pain in his body and focused on stripping completely. Every movement was a pain and he kept thinking that the shower would be the answer to everything. That once he had had that magic shower, he would be instantly lulled into sleeping and in the morning, he'd be make to his normal self.

Six hissed as he stepped into the shower, the water instantly feeling like a thousand pin pricks on his skin. It was not going to be as enjoyable as he had first hoped. He remained still as the water poured down his angular face, every droplet seeming to find new cuts and bruises on his body.

He placed a hand on the white tiled wall, using it to steady himself as he stared down at his feet. His neck seemed to be the one place that didn't hurt so he allowed the water to rain down on that. Everything else however seemed to burn or itch like hell.

Something niggled in the back of his mind, Holiday was going to be waiting for him. The doctor had said that she would wait until he had ate something and Holiday knew that Six was more of a grazer. It meant that his twenty minutes were dwindling and fast.

He quickly finished his shower, it had turned out not to be as pleasant as he had originally thought. Six shook his head, clearing it of unwanted thoughts and any excess water from his hair. He wrapped a towel around his waist and snorted softly as it was yet another white thing in the room.

People wondered why he wore green, it was so that he didn't lose his sense of individuality in a sea of black and white clothing that was the standard Providence uniform. Everything in the headquarters were either white or black. No shades of grey and Six found that it reflected the leader's personality quite well.

Knight had no grey area. It was either his way or no way. Six, ever since he had encountered one young EVO boy, had found his way of thinking was becoming grey. He had indulged Rex in quite a few things and had acted against orders.

He no longer saw things the same way his former partner did, not that he ever really did.

Six had a small plan forming in his mind, a fresh suit and shirt would instantly make him feel more like himself but he was caught out. He wasn't alone in the room now, he raised his eyebrow, ignoring how the cut above it stung.

Holiday turned around, a blush washed over her round features. It looked as though she had been caught raiding the cookie jar. Her arms were crossed over her top and she quickly avoided looking into Six's unshielded eyes. She couldn't stop herself from sneaking looks at his toned torso though, she was human after all.

_I knew I should have knocked, _Holiday thought with embarrassment, _now he's going to avoid me for the rest of the week._

"Doctor?" Six broke her out of her thoughts.

_I need to change the code for my door, _Six thought, it was getting far too easy for Holiday and Rex to enter his room.

"Yes...uh," Holiday stumbled, "I thought it might be best if I gave you something for the pain now instead of making you walk all the way to the medbay."

"I'm perfectly capable of making my way to the medical room," Six replied as he took a step forward.

He had decided that this was going to be awkward. He was standing practically naked with nothing but a towel to ensure he remained decent. He avoided her gaze as he reached for his shades, quickly, he placed them on, forcing the thought of what he looked like out of his mind.

"You looked a little stiff walking out of the mission room," Holiday risked a glance up and was greeted with her reflection from Six's shades.

_She noticed then, _Six cursed himself for that. He didn't want her noticing that.

"It's how I usually walk," Six curled his fingers tightly around his towel, forcing his mind to remain on the conversation instead of where it wanted to go in the current situation.

"You're usually smoother than that," Holiday laughed softly to diffuse the situation, "Come on, sit down so I can patch you up."

"Doc..." Six started but he fell silent by the death look that the boy had said would make even Van Kleiss ran and hid in the nearest wardrobe.

"Sit down," Holiday ordered, "Don't make me pin you down on it."

That comment seemed innocent enough but it had sent tiny shocks up both of their spines. It was clear that Holiday had a crush on Providence's top agent and if you looked hard enough, the feeling was returned. An answer played on Six's tongue but he quashed it down, it would not do.

"Can I at least put on some underwear?" Six queried, "I thought I had more time and I wasn't expecting to be hijacked in my bedroom."

Holiday's face turned red again. She turned round, her lab coat tails brushing against the lower part of Six's bare leg. She should have known that Six was like any human and didn't immediately put clothes on after a shower.

"Yes, of course," Holiday cleared her throat, "but as I told Rex, I am a doctor. You've got nothing I haven't seen before."

"I'm not a sixteen year old boy," Six countered, "I'm not trying to impress or bed you."

_Mores the pity, _Holiday kept her shoulders straight. She was getting tired of that though, was she really that unattractive to Six that he wouldn't even try to flirt with her a little? Was she destined to be chatted up by the teenage EVO?

Rex at least showed her attention, constantly trying to win her affections and even trying for kisses on the cheek or lips every so often for any brave thing he did. Six would give her the cold shoulder whenever she went to touch him or playfully tease him. The ninja barely acknowledged her presence and the best compliment she had ever got from him was 'you look...nice'.

Nice? She had spent over three hours trying to find the right dress for the party and to add insult to injury, he hadn't even shown up on time! He hadn't offered her any reason as to why he had been late, simply appearing out of nowhere beside her, wearing his damned green suit.

She took some solace that she was at least seeing the more human side of Six. However, even when the man was dressed in nothing but a white towel, he still looked daunting. Holiday couldn't resist the urge to peek at the mirror though, she bit down on her lip. Six had his back facing her as he pulled on his boxer shorts and Holiday was treated to a view of a toned ass before it was covered by the black material. She was concerned about the bruise forming at the bottom of his back though, it was going to be uncomfortable for the man to sit for a few days.

She turned round and she was suddenly struck by a funny thought. A chuckle escaped her lips.

"What?" Six frowned, a feeling of embarrassment began creeping up.

"Black shorts," Holiday offered him, "I always thought, you know, green."

It took a moment for it to register in Six's mind as to what she was talking about. Black shorts? He stared at her for a moment before the penny dropped. He resisted the urge to smile, did people really think that was all he wore?

"That pair is in the wash basket," Six admitted and a thought crossed his mind, would the good doctor go and check?

"Why do I believe you?" Holiday discreetly looked around the room to see if she could find the said wash basket and found that he probably hid it in the bathroom like most people, "Now, sit down so I can take a look at you."

Six fought back a sigh and a groan as he sat down on his bed. His ribs once again flashed in pain. His world was filled with white and scorching pain. He must have fallen forward as Holiday was next to him in a flash, her soft hands feeling cool against his skin as she stopped him from face planting the carpet.

"Six?" Holiday sounded so far away but Six focused on her, "Six?"

"I'm fine," Six responded.

Holiday gave him the once over quickly, he was bruised all over and she wondered how on earth he had managed that. How many of the bruises were fresh and how many were from the rigorous training sessions he had with Rex? His ribcage had a nasty looking bruise and she gently prodded it and wasn't surprised to feel Six tense under the touch, no matter how hard he tried to look nonplussed by it.

The doctor smiled softly, the agent in front of her could beat up EVO and be knocked around like a chew toy but poke a bruise...

"Wuss," Holiday teased lightly and she leant forward to dip into the bag she had brought.

"You didn't have the boy landing on you," Six almost huffed the answer.

"I heard," Holiday said as she rummaged through the medical bag, "How bad is the pain?"

"Unpleasant but nothing I can't handle," Six admitted carefully, "How's the boy?"

"Sleeping where you left him," Holiday admitted, "Rather cute what you did by the way. You know, giving him your coat."

"He wasn't moving any time soon," Six shifted his weight so it wasn't aggravating his bruises, "I merely made him comfortable. Is he still there?"

"Yeah," Holiday confirmed, "Bobo's trying to shift him but he's heavier than he looks."

Six said nothing but he could confirm that anyhow. Holiday was sitting close to him, so close that he could smell her delicate perfume. He noticed how the woman edged herself closer to him, just by a tiny bit.

The doctor placed a steadying hand on Six's thigh as she leaned to take a look at the cut above his eye. Six stopped himself from reacting, it was rare and far between since any woman had last seen him like this and he wondered where exactly was he supposed to look?

"Just patch me up," Six raised an eyebrow, wondering when exactly his throat decided to get so damn dry.

_That works, _a dry voice in his head chided, _if in doubt of what to do if a gorgeous girl hits on us? Be as cold as a freezer._

The agent straightened slightly, unsure of what he really should do. The woman sitting next to was leaning forward, perhaps expecting something more than what he could perhaps give her? Six lowered his gaze down to where Holiday's hand was and raised an eyebrow.

_Oh..._Holiday thought as she remained passive, _what does he think I'm going to do to him?_

Six wasn't surprised when Holiday blinked and pulled back from her position. She removed her hand from his thigh and closed it. She took a breath and cleared her throat.

_And Mr Sociable makes an unwelcome appearance, _Holiday thought bitterly. She had thought he had removed the barriers due to the current situation but she was wrong and it annoyed her.

She did as she was told however and she was perhaps a bit more rougher than she had any right to be on the agent's ribs. She pulled out a bottle of antiseptic and cleaned the cut, it wasn't deep enough to need stitching but it would be uncomfortable for a while.

"How does your cheek feel?" the doctor asked as she examined the bruise, she gently brushed her fingers across it.

"It's nothing I can't handle," Six brushed her fingers away with a swipe of his hand.

Six's bed was soft and he could feel himself wanting the soft comfort of the mattress and covers surrounding him. He stared at his feet for a moment, he needed rest and having Holiday beside him was tempting his mind into thinking about naughty things with the good doctor.

He leaned forward towards Holiday, unsure what he was actually doing but he was just going with the flow as to what his body needed. It was tempting to pull the doctor down on the bed with him and just hold her, her body radiated warmth and he was craving that warmth.

Holiday reacted the same way, leaning forward when Six did. Her eyes closed as they became mere inches apart, she wanted Six to make the next move. To break over that line that had been drawn without permission so many years ago. Six could smell the sweetness of the coffee on Holiday's breath as he slowly inched towards her.

_No interruptions, no interruptions, _Holiday chanted in her mind as she waited for Six to capture her lips.

"Lab to Doctor Holiday," came an unwelcome voice, "We have that EVO you wanted waiting for you."

Holiday opened her eyes, Six was standing now. When did he do that? Did he leave her hanging in the air for a kiss like a lovestruck teen? No, he wouldn't have been that cruel but he probably would have stood when her lab assistant had called on her.

She cleared her throat and smoothed her shirt down as she stood up, "Right, I guess that's my cue."

She wanted to scream down the headquarters, she was destined it seemed to never get a kiss. Six stood at the foot of his bed, reaching into his wardrobe for a suit. He looked at her curiously, something had riled the doctor and he could only assume the lab assistant was going to be in for a frosty reception from the woman.

"Oh no," Holiday said as she saw what the man was doing, "You are not going anywhere. You are getting some bed rest agent."

"It's not required," Six countered.

"Yes it is," Holiday poked his bare chest, "A half dead agent is useless."

She walked the short distance and pulled him by the arm to where they had been sitting previously. She pushed him back and was surprised to see him fall down on the bed. Holiday smirked softly, all else fails, she found a hands on approach worked.

Six nodded once, relenting this once to the doctor. He watched her carefully as she elegantly bent to pick up her bag. He avoided looking directly at her pretty features but he allowed himself the chance to drink in her slender frame. The curve of her back and the way her lab coat shifted over bum sent inappropriate thoughts in Six's mind.

Holiday caught him staring, "Have I something on my back?"

A wave of red washed over Six and there was no way he could hid it. His chest flushed with embarrassment as he realised Holiday was looking at him. He hoped she would simply think it was a case of fever and not because he was blushing because he'd been caught.

"No," Six felt his mouth go dry.

The doctor raised an eyebrow but she said nothing. She'd check in on him in a few hours to back sure he was all right and perhaps bring him a meal and a drink to keep his strength up. Did he normally go this colour when he was caught looking at something that wasn't there?

"Get some sleep Six," Holiday said softly.

A smile that was unguarded threatened to show on his thin lips, Holiday knew that sleep was probably a sure thing at the moment. She left him alone in the room as she walked out, her eyes blinking in the harshness of the corridor lighting. It didn't occur to her that Six had bare minimum lighting in the room.

"How's the ninja scarecrow?" Bobo's voice caught her off guard, "You were in there a while. Playing doctor and nurses huh?"

How the hell did Bobo do that? Holiday stared at him for a moment, the monkey was obviously learning how to sneak from Six.

"Of course not," Holiday refrained from sighing with that, "Six is fine. He just needs to learn how to look after himself."

Bobo gave her a naughty grin, "Yeah and I bet there's someone who could teach him huh?"

Holiday felt her lip curl in mild annoyance, sometimes the simian could be really quite cheeky. It frustrated her knowing that if a monkey could pick up on her feelings towards Six, why wasn't the man in question able to piece that out?

That almost kiss was about as close as she had ever been to getting one from Six and due to some lab tech, the moment had been ruined. She was going to strangle that poor soul.


	2. doctor's orders

**Disclaimer: man of action owns generator rex**

Two hours later...

Six hadn't slept. He was dressed in clean clothes and he was wearing his shades in his darkened room but he was exhausted. Sleep kept eluding him and he could almost pinpoint the culprit.

Holiday had managed to get under skin again, the woman had almost been pinned to the bed and had been ravaged by Six if she had gotten any closer. He shook his head, he wasn't going to let a woman, no matter how great he imagined she looked underneath her clothes.

The ninja agent had been unable to get the woman out of his mind. He had never been that vulnerable to her before, never really been that naked in front of a woman for such a long time that he had almost lost his composure and kissed the doctor there and then. He had regained his senses just before they had both made fools of themselves, even though he had wished otherwise.

His mind took him to the thoughts of what he had wanted to do, he didn't fight it. He wasn't a machine after all, no matter what the current bet down in the motor pool was.

He closed his eyes, perhaps willing sleep to claim him but he knew it wouldn't. Sleep wouldn't grant him the luxury no matter how exhausted his body was. Holiday was all he could think about.

_It's impossible to be too tired to sleep, _the ninja chided himself, _though why can't I sleep? Why can't I get her out of my head?_

He cleared his throat and tried to clear it of all thoughts so that he could perhaps grab a small power nap. The room was silent, far away from the noise of the rest of Providence. No one would think to actually look here if they were trying to locate the ninja.

Six took a breath as he leaned back in his chair, noticing how it creaked under his weight. He was embarrassed for allowing Holiday to catch him staring at her. Thankfully, it had just been the two of them in his room.

There was no place in Providence that was truly private however as he thought about the creaky chair. Six placed his long legs on his desk and wondered just when he was last in here. It smelt dusty and there was a faint smell of monkey. When did Bobo enter his office?

He loosened his tie with skilled fingers and pushed his shades up. What would he do if he actually got Doctor Holiday alone in his room and she was willing? He raised an eyebrow, he knew exactly what he'd do to her.

A blush washed over his features, he'd thought about it often enough over the past few months when he was alone and working on his jump jet. His fantasy would start out innocent enough, the woman coming into the hanger with some coffee and the latest report that he had asked for. They would get closer as she offered to help him out with his engine, the slender doctor positioning herself between the cool metal of the jet and his warm body. Her back pressed tightly against his chest as Six's finger's would quickly find their way onto her soft thighs, stroking them softly.

She would turn round, her green eyes baring into him as she lifted his glasses, pulling on his tie to bring him into a passionate kiss before her hands would slowly trail lower down his chest. His own hands would be working up her torso, savouring the touch of her warm, soft skin before he reached the delicate softness of her bra under her shirt.

He'd tease her by avoiding her eager advances by slowly removing his hands from her chest and using one hand to push one of her long and graceful legs up around his waist and pushing her back against the cool metal of the jump jet...

Six groaned, he shook his head as he gazed at the mountain of paperwork. He pushed the thought of the woman out of his mind, she was always going to be a temptation that he couldn't resist. He just didn't want to think about her in his barely used office.

He cleared his throat again, it was beginning to bother him now. Paperwork was sitting patiently to be worked on and he didn't have the patience to even attempt to start it. His coffee cup was almost empty and he decided that he was going to need more caffeine. His stomach growled at the thought of him ingesting more bitter coffee, perhaps something different was in order?

He was pretty sure that Rex would have some form of caffeine based drink in his room. He would be disappointed if he hadn't. Surely all teens if they weren't being all emo and depressive would drink the highly sugary, caffeine drinks?

Six reached over to the small white bottle of painkillers on the desk that he had swiped from the medical room about a week ago. He flipped the lid open and was slightly put out to find that it was nearly empty. Surely he hadn't used that many in such short a time?

Six pushed himself away from his desk, it was settled. He'd liberate a few energy drinks the same way Rex would liberate his wallet. However, he wouldn't need the help of the monkey to get his prize. He needed to get more painkillers on his travels.

He got to his feet, his body protesting at the movement but he wasn't backing away from his quest. He pulled on his jacket, replaced his shades to their rightful place and left his room, straightening his tie. Six put himself into auto pilot, he knew the way with his eyes closed. Six had done the walk countless times and would do so another countless time.

Staff walked by him, some nodded a greeting and only a brave few would dare speak to him by saying 'morning sir' or simply 'sir'. Six ignored them all, he wasn't known for his chit chat in Headquarters.

"Hey Six!" Noah Nixon strode confidently up to him, his open features smiling at him politely, "Is Rex here?"

_Damn... _Six thought as he walked towards the teen, if Noah was here then it would make his task of stealing Rex's sugary drinks all the more difficult.

"He's in the mess hall," Six lied through his back teeth, he knew full well that the teen would be sleeping soundly in his room.

"Cool," Noah said, "Hey...Six?"

The blonde teen spotted the bruise on his friend's handler cheek and was curious as to how the man had managed to get it. Rex had phoned a few hours ago to say that he wanted to hang out but that was before the EVO attack.

He'd watched it on the news and it had shown Rex getting his ass kicked along with Six until his friend had cured the EVO. He was surprised at that, normally those two could take down whatever came their way. It was like they weren't even trying.

Six paused slightly as Noah walked by him, "What?"

"You ok?" Noah suddenly felt the air chill around him, a Providence agent looked at him with wide eyes.

Noah could never really fathom as to why everyone was terrified of the green suited man, he was quiet and Rex frequently called him a nanny but Six had never shown a dark side. Had never gave Noah any reason not the think that the man was just quiet.

He had never gave any reason but the look he gave Rex's friend scared him, even with the shades covering Six's eyes. Perhaps that made it all the more intimidating? Noah felt the air almost freeze and he wondered what was said. All he had said was if he was ok, not like how his relationship with Doctor Holiday was.

"I'm fine," Six stated coldly as he walked away from Noah.

The Providence grunt and Noah both released the breath they had been holding. The grunt sighing in relief as he leaned against the wall. Noah stood still for a moment, still wondering what he had said.

Six briefly resisted the urge to turn round slightly to see the reaction from Noah and the grunt. He knew his reputation throughout headquarters. No one spoke to him unless they really had too, that was true at the start of his time with Providence and more so now.

He shouldn't have lied to Noah about Rex's location but he needed the time to get his bounty from the teen's room before Rex noticed it was missing. Six frowned, he was really beginning to crave the sugary drink now. It was something that hadn't really occurred to him before but he didn't eat sweet things.

His comm link buzzed in his ear. The ninja ignored it. It was no doubt something that would require him to do more paperwork. It would no doubt involve Rex if it wasn't in regards to said paperwork. Six wanted nothing more than to go back to his room and sleep after he had gotten his prize from the teen.

"Agent Six?" White Knight's gruff voice filled his ear, "Are you there?"

The green suited man stopped, "Six."

"I have a mission for you... " Knight commanded but Six's mind had already drifted off at that point.

_Damn Holiday. Why did she have to come to my room? She knew I was coming to the medical bay after I had showered, _Six thought as he stared blankly ahead, _why did I allow myself to almost kiss her?_

"...so I want you to take the boy and wipe out that damn EVO," White Knight finished.

Was that it? Take Rex and wipe out EVOS? That simple order?

"Wipe out EVOS?" Six repeated, surely there was more to the order than that.

Knight sounded annoyed, "Were you listening?"

"...Of course," Six lied.

"There's an EVO nearby, thinking it owns the place. We've already got Callan and his team out there but they seem to be having difficulty in trying to pin it down. Take the boy and deal with it," Knight growled before disconnecting the line.

Six fought back another yawn, surely there were other agents in headquarters that would be able to deal with a dangerous EVO? Why did Knight think he had to come running to him and Rex if there was a challenging monster?

_He's getting lazy in his old age, _Six thought as he continued on his way to Rex's room, _perhaps we should get him out more._

Rex should be fast asleep, the snores confirmed it as Six slipped into the room. He simply had to avoid any errant shoes or empty take out boxes that were littered across the room. Six used Rex's soft snores to cover his steps but he stopped as he watched the teen for a few moments.

Knight didn't see this part of the boy, didn't see the human part of him. Knight didn't see Rex, all he saw was a machine against the EVOS that he could use. Six could see why Rex would rally against the white man in the secluded nanite free room.

The teen's cover was slowly slipping from his sprawled form on the bed and without thinking, the ninja fixed it and covered him again. Rex made a contented sigh as he rolled over, cover firmly gripped in his tanned hands.

Six smiled softly, he would never have a son but Rex more than made up for it. The boy was astounding, he could cure mutated nanites and create amazing machines from his body but Rex wanted nothing more than to live a normal life.

Six would indulge that part to a point, he had been roped into Friday meatloaf night every week, even if they weren't on base. Rex had managed to make the meal a regular thing and Six had found himself coming to enjoy the night. It would always start off with polite, dull work related banter and turn into some fun. Usually Rex and Bobo fighting over the last piece of cake. Rex was currently 32-25 on the simian.

_I can do this mission myself_, Six thought as he spotted the personal fridge that Rex had claimed from somewhere.

Any guilt that he should have experienced was washed away by the times that Rex and his damn monkey sidekick had stolen his wallet. He knelt down and swore as his knee now got into the action of protesting along with the rest of his body. His body was resisting all attempts for movement and he was tempted to crash on Rex's couch that was just at the other end of the room.

Quietly, he opened the fridge door and was relieved to see that his mission had not been in vain. Six discovered a twelve pack of large, fat energy drink cans. Surely the boy wouldn't mind if he helped himself to a couple?

Slowly, he pulled two out of the fridge and moved the first four forward so it looked like the fridge still had the full amount in it, then closed it. It was something he had learned as a young boy, never make it look like something is missing, only let them think they could be wrong.

He winced as he got to his feet, _Perhaps I should let the good doctor take a look at me..._

"_Grande conejo_... Six, it keeps sucking my socks," Rex murmured sleepily into his pillow, "and the glitter screwdriver keeps getting stuck on your shoe..."

Six opened his mouth to comment on the fact that Rex thought a giant rabbit was sucking his socks when he thought better of it. Rex had made it clear that he no longer thought bunnies were cute, adorable little creatures but were weapons of mass destruction who seemed to really dislike him. Six had always wondered what exactly the teen had said to the first EVO bunny to get such a reaction from it. He still had flashbacks from when the second time they had encountered an EVO rabbit, he had chased after it's babies for the best part of three hours. The ninja, after numerous failed attempts to catch them, had drawn his blades and was happily going to make rabbit stew until Holiday had handed him a bottle of milk and a death stare.

The mention of the glitter screwdriver being stuck on his shoe had him completely stumped though.

"Night kid," Six slipped out of the room with his task complete.

Six cracked the first can open when the door slid completely closed and drained the entire can in one go. He took a breath, allowing the bubbles to work themselves down his throat. Six frowned, he didn't feel any more awake than what he did a few moments ago.

Much to his surprise, the ninja agent belched loudly. He stood for a moment before clearing his throat. Ok, it had made him gassy much to his disgust.

"Excuse me," he said to his own offended manners.

"I should hope so," Holiday chided from behind him, barely stifling her laughter.

Six turned around, "It was...unexpected."

Holiday plucked the empty can from Six's hand and looked at him, "Energy drinks? You know what this stuff will do to you right?"

"Just needed something sweet Doctor," Six stated matter of factly.

"I've told Knight to remove you and Rex from duty for the rest of the day," Holiday informed, "Rex's bio..."

"Unnecessary," Six countered, "I'm on my way to deal with the current situation. I'm letting Rex sleep through this one."

"Letting him sleep but stealing his energy drinks?" Holiday frowned, " Hyper Six, sounds like something he'd drink though."

"I'm neither sugary or sweet," Six look at the unopened can in his hand.

_But you are bad for the heart though, _the doctor fought back a lovestruck sigh.

"Six, don't be reckless. You're hurt and you really should be taking it easy for the next few days to let your body recover," Holiday informed.

Six was walking away from her as he spoke, "I will doctor, as soon as I have dealt with this EVO."

30 minutes later...

Six felt the wind whipping against his face as he manoeuvred his hover board down. The device was perfectly balanced to his weight and form but it seemed to be acting sluggish to his demands today.

His stomach grumbled unhappily at the fact that he hadn't eaten in over twenty four hours and that the only things he had drank were high caffeine drinks. The painkillers were doing nothing to ease the pain he was in but he had vowed to get more next time he was in the medical room. He was loathed to admit that he was actually feeling queasy after drinking the second can he had stolen from Rex.

The EVO looked like giant squid, it's long mutated tentacles were lashing out at everything that came near. He couldn't be sure if it wasn't just fear that was fuelling the actions or if the thing was genuinely on a destructive war path. Six could see the Providence agents hiding behind the trucks and firing at it. It wasn't working. It was simply making the creature madder.

The green suited agent knew it would be a few moments before he landed, the creature hadn't spotted him yet so he had at least the element of surprise on his side. Rex would have screamed at the creature to draw it's attention. Not Six's way of doing things.

He found his sudden wave of good luck failed as the EVO spotted him, it swung a tentacle at him and it clipped the board he was riding. He cursed himself for not reacting sooner as he was thrown from it and began his free fall.

His mind went through a thousand different actions before he settled on one. He shifted his body to the right and targeted one of the tentacles that was slowly waving in the wind. The ninja stretched his arm as he reached for the flailing limb, he swung his lower body round so his feet connected with the slimy limb.

Six slid down the tentacle, enjoying the sudden thrill that was created as he tore down faster towards what looked like the creature's mouth. Was this once human or was it a mutated octopus?

A tentacle slapped him off, he crashed to the ground and felt once again for the second time that day, the wind get pushed out of him. He gasped for breath as he rolled out of the way before the creature got another lucky shot.

His ribs felt like they were now on fire and his limbs felt like they no longer wanted to keep him up. He got to his feet and drew his blades, this was not going to be as easy as he had thought. There was little cover to be had, the monster destroying a large portion of the town that it was in.

Providence agents were shouting and reloading as they bore down on the EVO, Six spotted the form of Captain Callan shouting insults at the creature in the vain attempt to draw it away from a group of terrified tourists.

Six raced forward, leaping elegantly into the air and slicing part of the tentacle nearest the huddled mass of people. It had the desired effect and the creature turned it's attention to him. He narrowed his eyes, all he had wanted today was simply a drink of something alcoholic, a relaxing shower and the chance for sleep.

"Get those people outta here," Six ordered Callan.

Callan shot him a dirty look, it wasn't like he hadn't been trying. The blonde captain ordered his team to lay down cover fire as he raced towards the group. Six kept one eye on the captain and another on the creature, dodging every move the thing made.

Six managed an impressive leap onto the creature and quickly found what looked like the head. It still gave him no clue as to what type of creature it had been before it's nanites had went wild. It could very well be human.

The creature used Six's distraction to throw him off into a nearby police car. The world seemed to disappear, everything went black and his pain seemed to almost lift from him. He tried to cling to the numb feeling, almost screaming for it.

Above him, he heard an excited whoop from above him. He saw the brief form as he opened his eyes of a familiar shape tear above him, a comforting roar of the boy's boogie pack filling his ears.

Six rested on top of the police cruiser, his lower back pressed against the lights of the now destroyed car. He heard the almost musical sound of nanites being ordered to shut down, the huge shadow that the creature's form had made was slowly shrinking into nothing.

"Hey, what do you know," Rex snorted from somewhere out of Six's sight, "It's a clown."

_Always knew those guys were trouble, _the ninja thought as he commanded his legs to swing round from his awkward position.

His long limbs refused to work, demanding that he took more time to rest from this current fight. He was annoyed with himself though and he fought with his tired body. He would not show weakness in front of Rex or the rest of the grunts that were around.

"Six?" Rex's voice sounded concerned, "You...you ok?"

"Just having a nap kid," Six breathed, he focused on moving his legs again and was relieved to see that they actually responded.

"Well, you maybe wanna get off the car then?" Rex teased but the air of concern was still there.

"It's rather pleasant," Six forced a smile on his face to try and relax the teen.

It seemed that his loss of body movement was simply down to a stunned nerve in his back he surmised, he refused help as he slid not quite as elegantly as he would have liked off the car. His back and ass would no doubt have more bruises and now, he was pretty sure he had tiny fragments of glass stuck in there too.

He wobbled on his feet and Rex subtlety helped him stay standing. The teen was good enough not to be caught out by the other agents or Callan.

"I feel like crap," Rex suddenly admitted quietly to Six, "I wish Knight had let me sleep. I can only imagine what you feel like."

A rare moment in any day was when Six removed his shades, even briefly. The agent sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes, wishing away the pain and the discomfort that had been building since he woke up this morning. He gave Rex a brief smile before he returned his shades.

"It's nothing I can't handle," Six admitted quietly, "but we are agents of Providence. EVO monsters don't have a time table or a bedtime."

Rex's broad shoulder's sagged, "Gahh... wish they would."

Six stuck his hands in his pockets and began walking to the waiting jump jet. His body was screaming at him, the tiny shards of glass from the cruiser were digging into his back and he could only assume what Holiday would say when she saw him.

He was thinking about the next mission but his body had other ideas. It wanted to face plant the concrete pavement he was walking on.

"You wanna lift?" Six regarded the jump jet and then Rex who was posing for photographs from the relieved tourists they had just saved.

Rex activated his boogie pack and lowered his goggles, "Naw, I'm feeling in the mood for some burgers with a milkshake. You want me to bring you back anything? Burger? Fries? An energy drink?"

Six raised an eyebrow, who told the kid that? He entered the jet with the other men and pushed the ramp recall button.

"Surprise me but try not to get a glitter screwdriver on my shoe," Six called out.

Rex turned as red as his jacket when he clicked on as to what he was saying, the teen laughed loudly though, trying to retain his cool image.

Back at base... an hour later...

She watched Six ever since he had came back from the last mission. White Knight was lording it over the people in the room. Callan was standing next to a sitting Rex, the older captain seemed annoyed at having the blame placed firmly at his door. In Knight's latest rant, he was belittling the efforts of the team that had been sent first to deal with the octo-evo.

Six was leaning against the sturdy railing that ran along the control room, his long arms folded across his lean chest. He hadn't said a thing since they had entered the room and that was unusual. Six was usually the one giving the debriefing but he seemed to be taking a more passive interest.

Rex had informed her that the ninja agent had been knocked out cold during the fight and that he wasn't steady on those long legs of his. Of course, he'd done it when there had been no one around. The teen had sneaked looks at the older man throughout the entire time he had been in the room.

Holiday returned her attention back to Six, she wasn't quite sure, but was Six asleep? Asleep during a Knight debriefing? The female doctor edged closer, she could see the slender man's chest fall in a slow, deep rhythm. Six was facing her side on, allowing her the chance to see slightly behind the shades and she saw his eyes were almost closed and his usually attentive stare was currently focused on the dull metal decking.

Rex was sitting on his chair, feet up on the console and taking a mouthful of nachos that Bobo and Callan both seemed interested in. The teen would elegantly swipe them away if they came to close to his greasy snack treat. Rex stared up at the screen, pulling a face.

"Relax," Rex said through a mouthful of nachos, "I cured the creepy clown EVO thing. You've been riding our asses all week. We're tired, hungry and sore! We need a freaking break man, failing that, how bout springing for some decent dinner?"

Bobo laughed, "Kid's right."

White Knight stared at the simian before returning his attention to Rex, "Providence agents are trained to handle whatever threats there is. You've been through basic training."

"Yeah," Rex threw his arms up, almost knocking his snack of the edge of the chair, "but in training we had some sleep!"

Holiday smiled, Six was usually a bit more subtle about asking for Knight to be lenient with the soldiers but the green suited man was saying nothing. She wondered if he was even in the room with them at present or was he in his own land of sleep?

The doctor decided to let Rex have his fight with Knight, it was nothing that the two hadn't been through before, it would be interesting to see how it panned out without Six interjecting and playing negotiator.

Six stirred when Holiday placed a gentle arm on his, "Holiday?"

"You're awake," the female doctor said softly, "Come on, Rex is providing cover fire."

"The boy's in trouble?" Six frowned.

Holiday bit back a smile and a chuckle, "No, he's having an argument with Knight."

Six's frown remained on his angular features, "Why does that make me even more concerned?"

Laughter caught in Holiday's chest, every word Six was saying sounded like he was trying to wake up. She gently pulled on his arm, leading him out of the room. No one said or even looked at them as when they left, Rex simply gave them a brief glance, a smile playing on his full lips.

"And another thing Knight..." Rex cracked his knuckles.

Corridor...

Six allowed Holiday to lead him to what he assumed would be the medical bay. He just focused on his footsteps, ensuring that they fell on after another. They walked silently, Holiday watching him carefully. He wasn't at his best, that much was obvious. He needed to eat, sleep and relax but she couldn't force him to do anything of those things.

She lead him to her room, knowing that if people were going to look for him, they weren't going to look for him there. At least he'd be able to sleep for a short while without being interrupted. She opened the door and pushed him in gently, slightly disappointed that she didn't get much of a reaction from him, not even a raised eyebrow when she closed the door behind them.

"Take off your jacket," Holiday ordered, a look of pleasant surprised came over her as she watched the man follow it.

The ninja took the jacket off, his normally straight shoulders sagged slightly, as though the shape of the jacket had been the only thing keeping his shoulders straight. He stood there, looking lost in the sea of colour that Holiday had managed to bring into her room.

He held onto the jacket with pale hands, unsure if he should let it go or even where to put the article of clothing. His mind was slowly grinding to a halt, he just wanted to put it on autopilot for a while. Would he finally get the sleep he craved?

"Shoes," Holiday requested as she took the jacket from his hands.

Six nodded slightly as he kicked off his brown shoes, unsure as to what Holiday was wanting from him but he didn't say anything. He was simply going with the simple orders.

Holiday motioned the tie, "Remove the tie."

Six seemed to struggle with the delicate intricacies of the know he had tied this morning. The doctor stepped round so she was in front of the agent and helped him take of the slim black material. Her fingers brushed against Six's as she removed it. She took the liberty of unbuttoning a few of his shirt buttons at the collar.

She raised her hands slowly and gently as she went to remove the shades that seemed to be permanently attached to her friend's angular cheeks but something must have registered in Six's mind as his pale hands grasped her fingers.

"Don't push it," Six whispered softly.

"So, you're still awake then," Holiday smiled.

"...barely," Six admitted in a whisper.

Holiday slowly turned Six around so the lean agent was leaning with the back of his knees against her bed. She felt a blush wanting to rush over her cheeks, even though he was standing in her room, looking half asleep, the man still had the ability to fuel a fire in her.

She pushed him backwards onto the bed, Six allowed it and he landed with a soft soft on the mattress. A breath escaped his lips, as though standing had taken a lot of strength. Her hands were still being held by Six, absently, the agent rubbed his thumb against the heel of her palm, sending a tingling feeling down Holiday's arm.

"Lie back and sleep," Holiday whispered softly, "forget about the outside world for a while."

Six shook his head slowly, "Knight..."

"Knight can kiss the underside of Skalamander's armpit," Holiday fought back harsher words, "You've been running around without so much as a few hours sleep. Coffee and energy drinks will not keep you going. Knight can't expect you to run Providence, train Rex, go on missions and lord knows what else he tells you to do. It's killing you."

Six frowned, he'd merely been doing his job. It was nothing more than that. Van Kleiss had been keeping them busy with the new EVOs he was now creating and was causing trouble as per his habit.

Every bone and muscle in his body screamed to just let himself fall back on the bed and let Doctor Holiday look after him, to follow orders and just sleep for the rest of the day.

"Six?" Holiday asked, "Six?"

He blinked at her, then realised that she wouldn't be able to see the action. It took his brain an eternity to summon up some very simple and short words to answer her.

"What?"

"Lie down before you fall down," Holiday gently but firmly pushed him back.

He didn't care if he looked ridiculous being surrounded by such pretty and dainty covers. They were warm and inviting, the pillows were soft and Six found that Holiday definitely had a far more comfortable bed than he did. A sigh escaped from him, his battered form almost melting into the plushy accessories.

Holiday smiled, "See, that wasn't so hard now was it?"

The ninja resisted the urge to snuggle down further, he hated how his body was wanting to sleep. He hated himself for how easily the doctor had managed to get him down on her bed.

His comm beeped for his attention and he raised his hand to answer it. Holiday leant forward and daintily plucked the device from his ear, she shook her head and slipped the comm into her pocket. A stern look marred her features.

"You'll get it back after you have slept," Holiday chided, "Understood?"

The look on Holiday's face left no room for argument. Six raised an eyebrow but he didn't feel the need to say anything. He knew better.

"If Knight has an issue," Holiday continued, "I'll be the one to deal with him. We both know you need sleep Six, so don't make me tie you to the bed."

Six closed his eyes, allowing the calming silence and Holiday's steady breaths try to lull him into dozing. The doctor remained sitting next to him, her thigh barely touching his knee but the agent shifted ever so slightly so that his knee was now touching her fully.

You hungry?" the doctor asked.

"I'm...fine," Six mumbled softly, trying to clear his voice.

Holiday smiled and very gently and carefully stroked her friend's cheek. It was soft enough to be nothing more than Six's imagination but enough to perhaps sooth the tired agent into sleep quicker.

She wanted to remove his glasses that seemed to be permanently attached to his face but resisted the urge. She had managed to get more out of the man in the past few hours than she had in the entire time she had known him. It looked like Six was finally falling asleep, his chest rising in a steady, slow rhythm and he didn't seem to be as stiff.

Very quietly, "Six? Do you snore?"

Nothing. Six remained still and his stoic look on his angular features had softened. He looked, and Holiday swore she had never used this word when talking about Six, he looked peaceful. His lips weren't set in a thin line and his eyebrows were relaxed.

Carefully, she got to her feet. She found a deep purple throw and bit her bottom lip as she draped it over the sleeping Six. A warm smile crept over her lips, if ever there was a time to blackmail Six, now would be it. She tiptoed over to her wardrobe and reached for a large, fluffy dragon with googly eyes and a shy grin. She held it for a second, wondering if she could really get away with it but decided it was all in good humour.

She turned and crept back to the bed, placing the cuddly toy in the nook Six had made with his head and the pillow against the wall. Holiday wouldn't have been surprised if he woke up and gave he a funny look.

She knew she was pushing her luck but it didn't stop her from leaning over and kissing Six's temple,

"Goodnight Six."


	3. testing thoughts

**Disclaimer: man of action owns, i don't. **

**I'm really not sure on this story but i do hope you all enjoy. I apologise for the lack of steaminess so hopefully this chapter might be a bit better. Wasn't really planning on writing a Holix tale, it has just turned out that way.**

**3 hours later...**

Holiday walked down the corridor to her lab, she was feeling happy after seeing the softer side of the normally cold Six. It had been quite a day for her and she figured, for Six as well. He wouldn't have been used to having someone invade his personal space as Holiday had done.

She had seen him with very little on after she had caught him leaving the shower in his room, what had Six been staring at when she had caught him then? He had been quite intent on whatever it was, even behind his shades. Holiday let out a heavy sigh as a daydream threatened to crash through her mind.

She pulled out her phone and flicked her finger elegantly across the touch screen. She felt a playful tug of a smile pull at her lips, she found the file she wanted and her smile softened.

The female agents in Providence had spoken at great length about what the green suited man looked like underneath the clothes and Holiday had to admit, he looked good. Pale torso with defined abdomen muscles that if she didn't know better, could have been fake. He also had great legs and his ass was something she could slap all day without being tired of it.

A dreamy sigh emerged from her as she allowed herself to imagine more about Six as she walked, she allowed herself the thoughts as she stared at the picture. How his lips that never really smiled tasted, how soft his hands were and how strong his arms would feel around her as they gripped her firmly.

Rebecca bit her bottom lip, how would Six feel with her legs wrapped tightly around his waist as she straddled him. How he felt inside her as she would push her hips on to his, pushing downwards until she felt like she was going to scream, Six's hands gripping her waist, his mouth nipping at her collar bone as they rocked in unison. She would drag her nails down his back, taking in his smell and kissing him passionately. Would Six allow her to pretty much do anything to him or would the man keep control?

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, allowing the thought of Six's hands running down her back and buttocks, his fingers gently tracing delicate circles in her inner thigh. The thought almost caused her legs to buckle from under her.

Holiday let a breathy sigh escape her lips, her fingers made a tight fist, her nails digging painfully into her palm. She imagined tugging her lover's short hair while he licked and kissed her inner thigh, painfully slowly making his way upwards. She knew exactly what she wanted him to do but even in her fantasies, he still was stubborn about doing things in his own time.

A hot blush burned her cheeks, her lower body tensing as she felt arousal. She tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, she didn't need to be thinking about this. It would simply make her edgy and frustrated all day now.

She had Six in her room right now, sleeping with a cuddly toy. She was about to go and check in on him a few moments before, just to make sure that the quiet man hadn't sneaked off. Who knew what the man would think when he woke up and found himself staring eye to eye with her dragon cuddly toy? She hadn't noticed anything personal in Six's room that wouldn't lead to something being cut off or wounding someone that wasn't careful.

The idea had been called off when she realised that the man was a light sleeper, always ready for action so she decided to leave it, she had to check on Rex anyhow.

Doctor Rebecca Holiday however, had managed something that no one in Providence had ever done before and had managed to get a picture of Six with the toy on camera. She smiled sneakily to herself, it was something that would be just for her.

She had took a photo of him sleeping with the toy, he had looked so peaceful and even with the bruise and shades, he was still an absurdly handsome man. She could never figure out why the man seemed to feel the need to hide his eyes away from the world or why he insisted on wearing his damn green suit.

She was still smiling when she entered her lab, clearing her throat. Her body was hot with adrenaline and hormones, she was ready for jumping the next male member of staff she saw, just to rid herself of the ongoing frustration.

Rex was sitting on his usual spot on the medical table, waiting for her. Holiday slipped the phone back into her pocket, knowing that Rex would cause untold suffering to Six if the teen ever got his hands on the phone.

"Hey doc," Rex beamed tiredly, "so, more tests? You know what, I'm pretty sure you just do these to see my awesome body semi naked."

_You're not the one I want, _Holiday thought bitterly, _Just wish he'd realise that before I give up on him._

The doctor cursed inwardly, just her luck. The boy was flirting with her and she was sorely tempted to give in to the young Latino. The boy would think that all his Christmases and birthdays had came at once. She took a deep cleansing breath and removed all thoughts of Six from her mind, being distracted wouldn't do.

"Just a check up Rex," Holiday offered with a smile, "Six informed me that you've been a little off."

Rex pulled a face at that, "_Six_ has said that _I'm_ a little off? I'm okay. Tired, I guess but Knight has us running around like crazy. I mean, I know White sees me as a weapon but come on!"

Holiday busied herself starting some of the tests that she needed to run. Tests on Rex's nanites for a start seemed to show that the teen was exhausted. That was clear, she could see the dark circles starting to show under his dark eyes.

"He points me at an EVO and fires, then expects me to be ready for another one or whatever, hours later! I'm just about managing all these missions, I have no idea how the ninja nanny is coping..." Rex pulled of his t-shirt, trailing off at the end of the sentence.

He dropped his shirt on the floor, it landed with a little noise. He eyed the table beside the computer consoles. Needles, probes and whatever other little medical things sat patiently to be used. Rex pulled a face, he hated being stuck with needles. He wasn't a pin cushion.

He knew that the doctor had probably noticed how off the ninja man had been recently. The woman had practically been the man's shadow all throughout the debriefing. Rex watched Holiday for a moment as the woman was distracted by the monitor readouts. It was cute watching her and Six interact like shy teenagers. They were both clearly interested in one another but Rex knew that Six would never allow anything to break through that invisible wall that the man had built up between them and any one else who might show that they cared.

Holiday looked up at him, "I've told Knight to give you and Six the night off. He wasn't thrilled about it but he does understand that having two burnt out agents isn't going to help the war on EVOs."

Rex grinned, "Yes! I seriously have the night off?"

Holiday nodded, "Yes, the whole night, once I finish these tests."

Rex narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly, "What's the catch? Knight would never allow me the whole night if there wasn't."

The doctor raised an eyebrow, "You can't leave the base. You have downtime but your stuck in Providence."

"Gahh! Can Noah come over at least?"

"...No, sorry Rex," Holiday offered him a sympathetic look, "Knight decided on having the lock down after you're little outburst. All agents who aren't on duty are confined to base tonight."

"I knew it..." Rex deflated a little, "but I don't have to train or do any more tests though? I can lounge in my room playing video games and watching TV?"

"Yeah, you can even order pizza," Holiday assured.

"Better than nothing I guess," Rex mused as he laid back on the table.

Holiday graced him with an honest smile, "I know it's not perfect Rex but we do our best."

"I know," Rex sighed as he stared at the white ceiling, "I'm just fed up being used as a tool. I'm a teenager, not some weapon. Neither is Six but Knight seems to come running to us whenever there's a big scary EVO tearing up some town or whatever. I've heard what other agents think of us."

Holiday forced the surprised look from her face, she had heard those rumours as well. The other agents talking about no matter what Six and Rex do, they never seem to do any wrong. It wasn't true. They wouldn't see the punishing things that the two men would do to ensure that the EVO was either cured, contained or killed.

Six was constantly under fire from White Knight from not being able to completely control Rex. One day it would be because Rex had broke out or because the teen had managed to destroy something by accident. The next would be Rex saying something out of turn. Six was the one who would see Rex upset, angry or frustrated in battle and the ninja would always ensure Rex got the job done.

It was Six who took the blame when Rex found out that Noah was working for Knight, allowing the teen the chance to retain his only true non Providence friend. The ninja had been chewed out by Knight about that.

"Rex..." Holiday started.

"It's cool doc," Rex smiled softly, "it's what I do. I'm just a weapon."

"You're not," Holiday stopped her work and walked over to the teen, "Rex, I know this is tough but you're more than a weapon. I see you as more than that, so does Six."

Rex looked at her, offering her his most boyish smile, "Holiday, I know that. I'm just bitching because that ass in the white tower won't see that."

_Keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times, _Rex scratched his chin and wondered how long it would be until he had to have the talk with Six about the birds and the bees.

Every time he had queried about the delicate intricacies of puberty as a child growing up, Six had firmly gripped his arm and marched him to Holiday. A wash of a pink blush giving the pale man some colour as he explained in his curt way what the boy was asking about.

_It's about time I actually asked the question again, _he thought with an evil grin, _see how fast I can get bumped._

A comfortable silence fell over them as Rex was slowly being fed into the biometric reader, the teen crossed his legs at his ankles but kept his hands at his sides. He hated being shoved into the machine, it freaked him out.

He stared at the joints of the machine panels, "Hey, Holiday?"

"Yes?" Holiday sounded muffled as her voice filtered through the metal casing.

"Is...Six really ok? He got his ass kicked by that EVO and it's kinda not like him," Rex asked from his place.

Holiday paused, her fingers poised over the keyboard. She had seen that mission video and it was certainly interesting. The EVO had managed to make a mockery of all the agents that had been sent out to contain it. Callan had been in the medical bay a few hours ago looking for sympathy after the horror of getting his rear kicked. Holiday knew Six was tired, you just had to know the signs with the man.

Callan had mentioned that the normally graceful Six was stumbling around like a first year cadet, something that had been said quietly, just in case the man was lurking about somewhere. She knew that Callan and Six had a friendship of sorts, the ninja more often than not using the captain to command the Keep or fly in dangerous areas with him.

"He's fine Rex," Holiday assured, "He's like you, he's tired but he's not going to admit it any time soon. You know what he's like."

Rex looked at his feet, could it really just be that? Ninja nanny was running tired? He had been non stop on missions, the man hadn't grabbed enough sleep to count as a nap over the past week. Rex made a non committed noise, he wasn't sure. He'd check on Six but make it look like he was causing trouble so his nanny didn't realise anything.

"Tired huh?" Rex said slowly as he flexed his toes individually in his shoes.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Holiday queried.

The Latin teen had seen Six in the training room a few hours ago, tearing lumps out of one the petting zoo EVOs. Rex had watched Six, mesmerised at every movement. The man was graceful and elegant but he was lethal in his movements. Six was like a big cat, stalking his prey silently before attacking suddenly.

The teen was envious of that, Six had trained him best as he could but the teen knew that he was as subtle as Bobo in Vegas when it came to stealth attacks. Rex had always preferred the smack first, ask questions later approach in dealing with things that would bite him or try to harm innocents.

Rex had remained silent and out of sight as he watched Six go against different EVO but he wondered if the man knew he was being watched. EVOs were quickly dispatched and were sent with their tales between their legs but Six was dealing with them slower and slower.

"No reason doc," Rex finally admitted as he pulled out his music player from his pocket, the tests were going to take a while and he loathed the droning of machine as it scanned him.

Even though Rex couldn't see it, Holiday gave him a warm smile as she looked at his feet. The doctor shook her head slightly and enjoyed the silence that had fell between them. Rex would get to relax and do teenage things while headquarters was in lock down.

**Petting Zoo...**

The teenager paused as he entered the huge room that housed the Petting Zoo and the Hole. It was quiet, nobody really came down unless they really had to or if Holiday was wanting samples from the latest EVO that had been captured. Rex could hear the creaking of the tree like EVO Blinky in the non existent wind.

He walked forward, his feet crunching on the dirt and grass underneath. He listened out for any sounds that would indicate that he wasn't alone and wasn't disappointed when he heard the familiar and worryingly reassuring sounds of Six's katana blades slicing in the distance.

He held his breath, waiting for the huge, furry pink rabbit that had decided it really didn't like him to loom into view. His hands curled into a loose fist, psyching himself just in case the creature attacked.

_Six really needs to get a girlfriend, _Rex thought as he made his way through the huge room, his eyes scanning the area for the evil rabbit.

When had been the last time Six had had a date or even kissed a member of the opposite sex? There was the odd rumour floating about the place that Six wasn't even interested in girls, that the man was in fact gay. Not that it bothered the teen, you love who you love. What concerned him was that he had also heard the rumours that he was a robot.

Rex froze as a tiger like EVO tore by him, it's normally stripped hide was bloated and grey. It had flashes of it's original orange colour just at the tip of it's tail. A green flash quickly followed it, Rex spotted the katanas drawn and knew that Six meant business. The green suited man didn't register the teen as he raced by him.

Brown eyes blinked, "Six?"

The ninja man span round elegantly and allowed a raised eyebrow before returning his attention back to his prey. Six panted briefly and Rex could swear that he could see a drop of sweat running down from the man's temple. He followed the EVO that he had been trailing, not really paying much attention to the teen. Rex opened his mouth before realising that Six had left him by himself.

"Shouldn't you..." Rex paused for a moment to allow Six the chance to put down his target before continuing, "be sleeping or doing whatever it is that you do on a night off."

Six disappeared up into a tree, focusing on the tiger EVO. He gave the boy a look before sheathing his blades. He moved his shoulder to ease a cramp that had been forming. The world around him was swimming and threatening to tip over in a sickening wave but he focused on the EVO and the boy.

He slammed one of his blades just in front of the tiger EVO, causing it to startle and roar. Sharp needles flew from it's mouth into the tree Six was hiding in. It's mutated jaws flexing as it sniffed the air for Six only for the blade's twin to slam just behind it. The EVO growled and turned to the EVO teenager. Rex summoned his smack hands in case the creature decided that he would make a tasty snack but the EVO ignored Rex.

"Back off kitty," Rex snarled, "I'll make you into a rug for Knight if you get any closer."

The tiger EVO stared hungrily at Rex for a few seconds, the EVO then returning to the current situation of Six in the tree. It placed two misshapen paws on the thick tree truck and growled deeply up at Six. Six unleashed a volley of his hidden blades at the EVO, one blade slicing off a few whiskers.

The EVO gave one more growl before it decided that enough was enough. It backed up, looking at the tree and the hidden Six mournfully before slinking off into the dense forested area of the petting zoo.

"Holiday informed you that we do have the night off right?" Rex called up into the tree, feeling slightly foolish, "So, we should be sleeping or eating or...whatever it is that ninjas do."

A smile tugged on Six's lips, "I train."

"Come on," Rex offered, "amuse me by playing video games with me."

"Video games?" Six narrowed his eyes and leapt down onto the ground, picking his blades up, "No."

"Food then."

"I'm not hungry."

"Sleep."

"With you?"

"What? No!" Rex growled in frustration, "Six, have you actually slept since we got back? Have you even ate?"

"When did you become _my_ nanny?" Six looked at him with a hint of amusement.

"Since you decided that I had to," Rex crossed his arms, "You're gonna go and get some sleep before Holiday..."

"Agent Six!" Doctor Holiday's voice echoed in the petting zoo.

Rex looked up to the observation deck then at Six, "Now you're getting it."

Six gave him a brief look as the man followed Rex's gaze to the deck. The artificial lighting glinted off the large windows that had been installed. He knew that the woman would be standing in the middle, watching the two of them closely. Could he possibly be able to escape the zoo and the wrath of Holiday?

He knew if he had been in top shape it wouldn't have been an issue but he had barely managed to keep himself upright trailing that EVO. Six closed his eyes, had the temperature been raised in the petting zoo? Mentally, he shook his head. Of course it hadn't.

"Could you possibly answer as to why you aren't sleeping in my bed?" Holiday asked, "You know, where I left you?"

Six stiffened as Rex's eyebrows almost went into planetary orbit. The teen blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what Holiday had just said. He stared as though Six had suddenly grown two heads and three tails and was doing the tango.

"Well?" Holiday pressed.

He had no answer, he raised a sharp eyebrow. There was no reason beside the fact that he had been alone in the woman's bed when he had woken. He wouldn't admit that he had been slightly put out to discover that the woman had snuggled a cuddly toy next to him.

It had been trickier trying to avoid the looks of various staff as he walked out of her room, fixing his tie and jacket. He had been loath moving after a few moments of Holiday leaving but he didn't want to be alone in the woman's room.

"I felt rested," Six lied through his back teeth.

"Liar," both Rex and Holiday said at the same time.

Six sighed mentally, there was no way he'd be able to escape without one or the other catching him. Wise men knew when they had been bested in battle and should accept defeat but, Six had never claimed to be wise. The ninja straightened, he smoothed down the front his shirt and tie. He wasn't about to admit defeat.

"I'm not allowed to leave without an answer," Six stated, "Am I?"

They could hear the smile in Holiday's voice, "Pretty much. Wait there so I can come and take you back to bed. I'm thinking about tying you down this time."

Rex's eyes went wide like saucers again before a blush washed over his features. That may have been a joke but Rex wondered if the woman actually meant it. Six's cheeks were flushed with colour that hadn't been there a few moments ago, was he actually blushing?

"Tie you to the..." the EVO teen trailed off when Six stared at him, "ok...forget I said anything."

Everyone knew that the doctor cared for the ninja, that was obvious to all and sundry but Rex knew that Six also had a thing for the doctor. How long though was Holiday going to wait before Six actually asked her out? What would it take?

It wasn't long before Holiday arrived down in the zoo, her long legs making short work of the distance between her and the boys that drove her crazy at times. The doctor stared at Six, a look of disapproval marring her face. Mild scorn in her green eyes.

"Agent Six," Holiday had her serious tone on, the one that she would use on White Knight if the man had done something to really frustrate her, "I am placing you under strict bed rest for the rest of the night. You are, in my opinion, unfit for duty."

If Six had been annoyed or surprised at that comment, he kept his face still. Not even his eyebrow twitched upwards. He placed his hands in his trouser pockets, the only action that he would allow himself to do. The zoo had became increasingly warmer as he had stood with Rex.

Rex fought the urge to point at his minder and say ha. Six might be feeling under the weather, whether he admitted it or not, but he could still be dangerous.

Six walked away from the doctor and the EVO teen, fighting the urge to expel the contents of his stomach. His ribs flared in pain and he swayed slightly as he walked. He stopped as he reached the door, something wasn't right. Why was he sweating? His lip twitched as he removed his hand from his pocket and gently touched his side, a thin needle was embedded firmly into his side underneath his jacket. Why hadn't he felt that?

_Shit..._ Six thought as he fell back.

Something caught him before he connected with the ground, something warm but metallic. His failing hearing caught surprised ohs and gasps. He closed his eyes, hearing a faint call of his name by voices that seemed so far away. He wouldn't fight the darkness when it seemed to welcoming.

He felt a warm pair of hands go for his neck, his reactions screaming at him to fend them off but he wasn't in control of his body any more. Six was annoyed at himself for allowing himself to be poisoned like that, it was a rookie mistake.

Holiday's heart leapt into her throat as she had seen Six fall back. His long legs suddenly buckled from under him and Rex quickly caught the man with his smack hands before Six did himself further injury by collapsing on the ground. The teen looked frightened as he held his mentor in his huge hands but Rex quickly washed the look away.

Rex kept a grip on Six, holding him like he was glass. Surprised at how light the man actually was, did he actually weigh anything wet? Holiday raced over to him, checking Six's pulse and was startled to feel that it was thundering.

"Get him to the medbay," Holiday ordered.

**Medical Bay...**

Holiday was a bustle of activity as she checked her friend's stats. She frowned, his temperature was rocketing and his breathing was laboured. How much of it was down to his battered body finally relenting to the pressure he had put it under and how much was down to the tiger EVOs poisoned darts?

It wasn't just the poison, it was his fever that he had. She paused for a moment and looked at her friend on the bed. She had wanted to get him into bed, her bed however. Not the one in the medical bay. She was surprised at how she had missed the fever, she had been up close to the agent.

She had been practically touching him and she hadn't noticed how hot he had felt under her fingers. If she had noticed how warm he had been, she knew she would have dismissed it by saying it was the fading heat from the shower.

Holiday scolded herself, she should have realised how pale he had been as well. Granted, the man seemed to avoid the sun like a vampire, seeking shade. He could give Van Kleiss a run for his money. Six's skin was flushed, sweat made a thin film over his face.

She walked over to the bed, knowing that she didn't need to. The electrodes she had placed on his temple and his temple were still sticking firmly but she just wanted to make sure. She placed a hand on his forehead, he was burning up. A table sat next to the bed with a basin full of cool water and a wash cloth. She lifted the cloth and soaked it in the water before softly dabbing it on Six's fevered brow.

"I should have noticed," Holiday murmured her apology, "I'm so sorry."

She knew she was talking to herself but it made her feel better. She leaned against the bed, feeling like she did when the sleeping virus had taken over the planet. She had been helpless to stop the infection and could only make people comfortable.

Since Rex had joined Providence, she had became more social with her colleagues. She was treated with respect and everyone liked her. Of course, it didn't hurt being the head of the research team on the curing of the nanites. Holiday had noticed a difference in herself, she wasn't afraid to speak up if something bothered her.

Six had became more involved in conversations as well. He was never going to be completely chatty and friendly but Rex's influence had rubbed off on him as well. The agent even gaining a rather warped sense of humour. People had told tales after school when Rex had been chased by the second bunny by informing her that Six was slow in responding to the situation, a faint smile gracing his lips.

"You are in so much trouble," Holiday sat on the edge of the bed, "I'm serious."

She gently took Six's hand in hers, half hoping that the touch would cause the man to wake but no such luck. She sighed heavily, she had given him antibiotics and the anti toxin for the poison. It was now a waiting game. The man hadn't been given painkillers, she had a sneaking suspicion that he had been self medicating anyhow.

What would break first? Six's fever or her patience with the ninja's attitude to his own personal medical care?

"Doctor Holiday?" Knight's stern face appeared on the large screen that seemed to be everywhere in the building, "Is it true that Agent Six collapsed?"

Holiday took a breath, calming herself. She wasn't going to give the man the satisfaction of seeing her worried about Six. It wouldn't have been very professional and she knew that Knight didn't particularly like her. Elegantly rising from her place on the bed, she walked over to the screen and sat in the chair.

"Agent Six collapsed due to a high fever and a toxin produced by one of the EVOs in the petting zoo. He'll be fine but he needs to rest," Holiday stated as her fingers danced across her keyboard, "I'm confining him to the med bay until his fever breaks."

"Is this sudden illness nanite based?" Knight asked with all the manners she had long became accustomed to.

"Depends on what you mean," Holiday countered sharply, "You have him working twenty four seven. Knight, he's run down and I'm surprised Rex isn't here along with the rest of Providence."

"EVOs don't take time off doctor," Knight responded, "Agent Six is well aware of this."

"Six would run himself into the ground following orders," Holiday argued, "that's why he's in here. He can't say no to you Knight!"

"He's more than capable of saying no Doctor Holiday. I was his partner. Need I remind you how I ended up in this blasted room? I am pretty damn sure as to what that man is capable of," Knight growled, his eyes briefly showing the true betrayal that he felt.

No matter how hard she tried, Holiday couldn't stop the snarl from her lips. It infuriated her when Knight pulled that card. Yes, it was awful that he was no longer able to leave the room because he was not wanting to be infected with the nanites that infected everything.

The relationship between Knight and Six had became strained ever since the ninja had brought Rex back to Providence, the boy being the third option that Holiday had been looking for. The two men had fought, Knight furious at how easily Six had cast aside their friendship for some EVO that he had just known for a few hours, drawing his blade against a man he had called friend because Knight was going to destroy the answer that might save the planet. All because Six had decided to hope.

"I know what he can do, I'm the one who patches him up whenever he's nearly gotten himself killed," Holiday pushed herself out of the past, "He found the third option in Rex so we no longer just need to kill or contain. You said it yourself, the softer approach works!"

Knight snorted, his pale face no longer hiding the fury. The man slammed his fist down on the table he sat at, his image flickered at the force of the impact. Holiday refused to lower her gaze however, she wasn't going to back down on this. They both stared at each other, fury on both sides.

"I want to be informed when he regains consciousness," Knight growled before ending the communication.

"Of course," Holiday said to the blank screen.

The doctor walked over to the bed that Six was on, she placed a hand on his arm. Knight had annoyed her with that comment of not knowing what Six is capable of. Six was the one who people approached in Providence, he was the one who people looked up to.

She cleared her mind again and turned to Six again. She needed to cool him off, she struggled lifting him into a sitting position, wishing he was at least semi conscious. Her arms around his chest and she could smell the faint aroma of his deodorant, working against the musky smell of sweat.

Six moaned softly, as though he had read her mind. He stirred and took a deep, painful breath awake. He blinked fuzzily, Holiday was embracing him, her arms slinked under his jacket and her head resting on his shoulder.

"Hol...Holiday?" Six cleared his throat but instantly regretted the action as a wave of nausea crashed over him.

"Hey," Holiday smiled softly as she helped him into an upright position, "Welcome back to the land of the living, agent."

Six stared at her blankly, "I...don't feel so good."

The doctor opened her mouth to say that she wasn't really surprised but quickly leapt back when Six leaned over the bed and threw up. The agent leaned precariously over the edge and gasped for breath as he retched.

The doctor stood stunned for a long moment, Six was never sick. The man could just look at the flu virus just to have it run in terror. She had never seen him so bad, never seen him vomit like he was. The man was always so damn private.

She wanted to place a comforting hand on his back, to let him know that he wasn't alone and that he was going to be alright. She watched as the agent vomited what little he had in his stomach before he started the painful dry heaving. Without thinking or even asking, she did just that, her hand rubbing a gentle and soothing circle on her friend's upper back. She knew it wouldn't sooth the pain but at least it meant the man knew that she was there.

The med bay doors opened and she glanced over her shoulder to see Rex standing in the doorway. His dark eyes trained on Six, Holiday could see the surprised worry. The green suited man was more like a father to the teen than the two would readily admit.

Six remained leaning on the bed, he closed his eyes and willed himself to fight through the sickness and pain that was emanating from every cell in his body. He focused on the doctor's hand on his back, the circling motions that she was doing with her hand.

"Six finally have Callan's surprise pizza topping?" Rex joked weakly, trying to lift the mood, "or did White Knight do the Caramell Dansen dance naked?"

Holiday shook her head, stopping herself from rolling her eyes at the comments. She felt Six retch again under her touch, a shiver raced through his body.

"Help me get his jacket off," Holiday ordered.

Rex quickly made his way across the room but the smell of fresh vomit was turning his own stomach but he fought through it. Six had cleaned up after him when he had been ill and so had Holiday. The doctor motioned for Rex to help Six into a sitting position, the teen kept a hand on the agent's back. Six was hot and his jacket was sticking to his back but he was shivering.

"He gonna get the lecture?" Rex asked as he watched Holiday remove Six's jacket and throw it on a nearby chair.

Holiday raised an eyebrow as she regarded Six, the man had his katana's on his white shirt sleeves and knew that one wrong move in removing them would result in an injury or possible death.

"I'm...I'm still here," Six breathed.

"Yeah," Rex raised an eyebrow, "We know."

Doctor Holiday grabbed an ear thermometer and placed it in Six's ear, she watched as it rapidly shot up. The antibiotics weren't working quickly enough and she needed to cool him down before he went into shock. Six slumped against Rex, whatever energy he had spent.

"Rex, I want you to help me get Six into the shower room in the medical bay," Holiday ordered, "We need to lower his temperature."

"Lower?" Rex shook his head, "Doc, he's shivering. He's cold."

"No, he's burning up Rex," Holiday countered, "Come on."

Rex pulled Six off the bed, almost buckling under the near dead weight of the agent. He managed to awkwardly place Six's arm around his shoulders and half dragged him to where Holiday was. He could hear running water coming from the room, not quite sure what the woman had planned but Rex figured that the woman knew what she was doing.

The teen felt Six's katanas brush against his side, the braces they were held in remaining still and steady. How did Six manage to get them without slicing off his hands? He looked down at Six's arm and studied his wrist briefly.

The device on Six's wrist was elegant but simple in it's execution. It looked to be spring released, the sudden sharp movement of Six's hand backwards would unleash the blades. Rex wasn't surprised at the simpleness of the device. Six preferred simple things, things that would do the job without having to rely on power.

The teen dragged Six into the shower and gave a surprised cry of surprise when freezing cold water poured down on him from the shower head. He shook his head, clearing his hair of the water droplets. Holiday had her hand on the tap of a second shower and turned that one on cold as well.

"Doc!" Rex cried out, "The hell?"

"We need to lower his temperature," Holiday stated as she turned on the remaining showers, "and we don't have time to run a cold bath for him. Put him down on the floor but don't let him fall."

Rex said nothing and helped Six down onto the tiled flooring, he remained holding onto the man but the cold water was slowly numbing his limbs but he could still feel the warmth radiating from his friend. He was still shivering. Holiday disappeared for a few seconds and returned with the thermometer, she knelt beside Six, getting the cold water on herself as well.

Rex regarded her for a few moments, the doctor's elegant bun was slowly being destroyed by the water, her natural make up and eye liner running as the water ran down her forehead and into her eyes. Rex knew that he wasn't faring much better but he wasn't wearing make up.

Holiday blinked as she wiped the water from her eyes, smearing her make up further. Her eyes narrowing as she regarded the instrument in her hand. She placed the thermometer back in Six's ear and gave a frustrated sound.

"Still too high," she murmured.

Rex remained holding Six, the agent resting against him. The teen wanted to place his hands on him and cure him but his nanites didn't work that way. He shifted slightly, one of Six's elbows digging into his side.

"How long do we need to do this for?" Rex asked, the water pooling around his legs and knees.

"Until his temperature lowers," Holiday pushed a lock of wet hair from her eyes, "hopefully soon."

_Come on Six, _Rex thought as he looked at the agent in his arms.


	4. rescue me

**Disclaimer: Man of action owns Gen Rex. I'm just borrowing the poor souls who happen to live there.**

**I suck at steamy scenes, sorry**

**Six hours later...**

Rex had his feet up on the console, a hot drink sat just to his left. A rare fact that no one knew but he was a total tea fiend. It had started when Holiday had told him various methods to relax and had carried on in secret when he wasn't running around saving or curing people. It made him think of his past, did he drink tea then or was he totally into his sodas?

The teen drank more when he was worried or when he wanted to get to sleep after a hot shower. Another quirk that had rubbed off from Six. He had about three cups already in the space of an hour but he had just wanted something to do with his hands.

He could still feel the fading warmth of the cup in his hands and smiled softly. Six would warm his cup first with hot water and then pour it out to replace it with at least two teabags and then adding the hot water again. Rex had copied that and found that the tea seemed to stay hotter for longer.

He had raided Six's personal supply a few hours ago when he had went to go and change his clothing. He wasn't bothered about the fancier stuff, the lemon, herbal or anti toxin ones. He enjoyed the one where you simply put in milk and sugar and enjoyed the taste.

He was still in the medbay, keeping an eye on his friend. Six had had a broken sleep, the agent tossing and turning in the bed for the best part of four hours. Holiday had thought about strapping the agent to the bed to ensure that he remained but Rex had countered that. What if the agent threw up?

The teen took a sip of his tea, savouring the flavour. The ninja had changed the blend again, he would do that every few months, it was sweeter than normal. Rex slid a little further down in the chair he was in, a small yawn broke through his lips. He looked around the room, it was normally him that was in the bed if his nanites went mental or if he had been beaten up by a stronger EVO.

It was strange being in the room with the lights off, the only lights were the glow of the consoles and the steady beeping of the heart monitor linked to Six. Long eerie shadows fell across the consoles and floor. Rex rubbed his eyes with his free hand, he was exhausted but he wasn't going to leave Six by himself. He drained the last of his tea in a few long gulps and stretched his arms.

His ninja nanny was never sick, the man could walk off being slammed into walls and being beaten about the head without so much as a moan but now he was struggling to fight off a fever and a poison from an EVO.

Six shifted in his sleep, a soft moan of pain came from him. Holiday had refused to give him painkillers on the basis that she didn't know what the agent had took prior. He was still throwing up but now it was more painful retching. The past hour seemed to have been better, he was dry heaving less.

Rex got to his feet and walked to the bed, wishing he could put his hands on him and cure him instantly but infections and poisons weren't nanite based. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked out of the large windows that looked out into the desert area that surrounded headquarters.

The stars were pretty little dots in the night sky, dark clouds of midnight black passed across the crescent moon. Rex sighed, what had the sky above Abysus looked like before the the event? Did his family go out camping underneath? Did he even enjoy camping?

"So..." Rex asked quietly at Six, "What did Holiday mean that you should be sleeping in her bed? You trying to steal my girl? In fact, what did she mean that she should have tied you to the bed? "

The agent lying down beside him sat up suddenly, Six swayed as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He ignored Rex and pulled out the IV that Holiday had placed in his arm to provide fluids. Rex narrowed his eyes, Six seemed adamant about going somewhere.

Six slid off the bed, his legs buckling slightly but he straightened himself with the aid of the bed. He wasn't wearing his suit any more. Holiday and Rex had removed the wet clothing and had managed to get him wearing a soft grey t-shirt and dark sweatpants. Rex and Holiday had wondered about leaving the shades on and had decided that it would perhaps be best if they did.

"Six, maybe you should sit back down again?" Rex leaned over and grabbed Six's arm only to have the agent tear his arm away.

"Where am I?," Six breathed as he took a shaky step away from the bed, "Where is he?"

"What? You're in headquarters," Rex said gently, "Six, where's who?"

"Rex...where is he? What have you done to him?" Six headed towards where his katanas were and fumbled with placing them on his arms. He placed them back on the table, he didn't need his weapons.

Rex rolled over the bed and reached Six, "You're sick."

Six ignored him as he picked up his jacket and tried it on with difficulty. After a few moments of struggle, he gave up. He steadied himself briefly on the chair before heading to the door. Six paused at a console and bent over double before dry retching. Rex thought that was it for the agent, he'd fall and then the agent would then be helped back into bed.

The teen walked to him, "Enough fooling around man, back to bed."

Six shook his head, "I have to get back...I have to protect him."

"Protect who?" Rex frowned, what the hell was he talking about?

"I have to protect him," Six repeated, "I swore that I would protect him."

"Protect...Six, I'm right here," Rex repeated, he took a step forward, hoping that Six's mind would click back into place.

The ninja refused to pay attention to his young charge, he made his way to the door. He stopped and again steadied himself by placing a hand on the wall, his vision blurring when he tried to enter in the code to leave. He knew the code but this wasn't his home, this wasn't Providence. It should be simple enough to override but his fingers refused to follow the commands to punch in the right digits.

"What have you done to the door?" Six demanded furiously as he turned round.

Rex stood stunned at the aggression, he blinked and rubbed the back of his neck. He opened his mouth and closed it again, Six was staring at him as though he was a threat. It was unnerving to actually be on the receiving end of such a stare, even if it was shielded by his tinted shades.

The taller male grabbed Rex's arm and twisted it behind the teen's back. Rex cried out in pain, he couldn't figure out why Six was acting like this. The teen lowered his shoulder, trying to ease the pain that was shooting down his arm.

"Open the door," Six hissed in Rex's ear, his breath hot against his neck.

"No," Rex gasped as his arm was pulled sharply, "Six, you're not well."

"Open the door," Six repeated and put more weight on Rex's arm, "or I will break your arm."

Rex raised an eyebrow, "Six, you know that I can easily take you."

He didn't give the agent the chance to respond as he summoned his smack hands, Six jumped back, crashing into the table behind him. The ninja growled in anger to the sudden defence that Rex gave. He narrowed his eyes and his lip curled in anger.

"Six, I don't wanna hurt you," Rex held out his smack hands, palms facing outwards.

"Hurt me? Don't make me laugh," Six swayed as he looked at Rex, "Get out of my way and open the door."

"Why?" Rex challenged.

"Don't question me," Six moved forward, picking one of his blades from the table. He slowly moved the blade in a figure eight.

Rex swallowed a lump of fear, he wasn't going to let Six hurt himself by leaving but he knew that the ninja wasn't exactly going to let him order him about. His mind raced with thoughts about how he would explain this to Holiday.

_Oh yeah, Six woke up thinking he wasn't on base and decided that he was gonna leave. He threatened me with his blade so I smacked him about a bit. He kept rambling on how he had to protect me but he couldn't see that I was right in front of him, _Rex had to make his mind up, he had to decide on how he was going to restrain the agent without him killing him.

The teen dissolved his smack hands but he kept his palms facing forward. He mentally sighed, forcing his panic into a deep recess in the back of his mind. There was only one way to deal with the agent, knock him out.

Six took the split second that Rex took to think and kicked him backwards. Rex landed backwards over a table, the instruments scattering across the floor noisily. The teen half expected security to rush in the room and respond to the sudden noise but that would have only lead to more potential harm.

Rex scrambled to his feet, "Six, stop!"

Six was back at the door again, the agent slipping his blade into the control pad next to the door and pulling it out of the wall. The door slid open and Six walked through it, he had a hand on the wall, steadying him.

Rex covered the short distance between them and grabbed Six from behind. The agent reacted the way Rex knew he would and the teen found himself flat on the floor, his head cracking painfully on the floor. The world showed him painful stars as Six walked away from him.

The EVO teen once again summoned his smack hands and grabbed Six, hoping that would be enough to stop the man. Six stumbled forward, Rex barely missing the man with his huge mechanical hand. Rex shook his head and got to his feet.

"Six," Rex rubbed the painful spot on his head, "Come on, don't make me hurt you."

Six's blade came within mere millimetres of his nose and Rex's eyes widened. That was painfully close for the teen's comfort. Six showed no sign of recognising who was he was threatening but Rex wasn't going to push his luck with such a near miss. Rex had to change his battle plan, maybe allowing Six whatever it was that he wanted to do.

"Alright," Rex said calmly, "Ok...what do you want to do? Who is it that you have to protect? Me? I'm right here but I can help you find him."

Six's eyes twitched under his shades, "You're not Rex. I don't know who you are but you aren't him."

Rex offered him a smile, "Yes I am. How many kids do you know that can summon machines?"

"Let me leave," Six snarled, "Why is that so fucking difficult for you to understand? I don't need your help."

_Yeah you do, _Rex narrowed his eyes, he could see the blade quivering in Six's hand, "Six...think about this, you're holding a blade to your partner. I'm Rex! You're not thinking straight."

"I'm thinking fine," Six tipped the blade further, it touched the tip of Rex's nose, "Leave me alone or I will cut you down where you stand."

The blank look in Six's face remained, the agent still showing no recognition of his partner. The ninja bore a dangerous look at the boy before giving him a strong kick to his midsection, sending Rex backwards into the wall. The teen stumbled, surprised at the strength as he slid down the wall. Six walked slowly over to him and grabbed his short hair.

"Do not follow me," Six whispered coldly into his ear, "If you do, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Rex tried to move but Six pushed the boy into the wall, knocking him out cold. Six looked at the boy, something niggled deep down in his mind that what he had done was wrong, that he shouldn't have done what he had done.

He held the tip of his blade just underneath the boy's chin, his lip twitching as he fought a battle inside himself. He shouldn't have attacked the boy, he was just following orders but he was stopping him from doing what he had to.

The agent threw down his blade, he was exhausted. Battling the boy had worn him out but he couldn't rest.

He had to rescue Rex.

**Moments later...**

Six sneaked quickly and quietly into the jet hanger bay, it had been easy to slip by the grunts posted at the door. He paused for a moment as he reached his grey jump jet, why was it so damn warm? Sweat poured down his face as he took a few calming breaths. He walked slowly up the lowered ramp, his legs feeling like jelly.

He sat down in one of the seats and closed his eyes. He had to get away from this place, that was the one recurring thought going through his mind right now. He had to get away and heal his wounds but he had to protect the boy.

Rex was the one thought going through his mind, he had to make sure that he was okay. Had to ensure that Van Kleiss didn't have him locked up in Abysus or that the ever insane Breach wasn't playing house with him.

A voice and a familiar face appeared on one of the screens in the jump jet. Six looked up at it, not impressed with the thunderous look of the man. He felt drunk as he regarded the monitor, his vision refused to clear and his mind refused to work.

This place was so damn similar to his own Providence home, right down to his own jump jet. Van Kleiss had really spared no expense at this little charade. He had managed to get the personality of the leader down to a tee.

"Six! What the hell is wrong with you?" Knight barked as he came on screen.

The ninja fought back a groan of pain as he stood up, "Stay out of this. I promised the boy that I would protect him, you are nothing. I will not allow you to harm him."

"The same boy you just knocked out cold?" a surprised laugh came from Knight.

"Listen 'Phil'," Six sneered as he stood up, leaning heavily against the console underneath the monitor, "That was not Rex."

It had been years since Six had called Knight by his first name, Knight had been surprised. He watched Six on the screen, so far, the only one to be harmed had been Rex. Knight looked at his top agent, it was clear that the man should be in the med bay.

Normally pale cheeks were flushed with colour and sweat had made Six's hair slick. He still had his tinted shades on, covering his eyes. Six regarded the screen and Knight.

"I'm ordering you to stand down," Knight commanded from his monitor.

The man in the white room frowned. Six was not firing on all thrusters and was a threat to himself. Knight interlinked his fingers and placed his hands on the desk in front of him. His former partner was always stubborn, being sick made no difference to the agent.

"Screw you," Six stated as he turned off the screen, he shook his head.

It was unbearably hot now, he placed a hand on the screen. His vision dimmed and he took off his shades. They weren't helping his vision. He looked around the hold to see if there was anyway of cooling the area down. The controls were in the cockpit, that was his next stop.

He bumped against a roll bar cage on one of the seats and almost fell to his knees. Why did his side hurt so damn much? Slowly, he pulled up his t-shirt and saw an ugly bruise and a swollen lump on his side.

He forced himself to try and remember why he was hurt and why he had a lump there. Six shook his head again, taking as deep a breath as he could without it aggravating his ribs and sides. Flashes of broken thoughts filled his mind but nothing he could really pin down.

_Ok...focus,_ Six ordered himself, _there must be some reason why I can't find Rex. Breach has him hidden away some place...this isn't really even Providence HQ._

He made his way to the cockpit and sat down in the chair. He would head back to the real headquarters after he had Rex from the clutches of Van Kleiss. He thumped the control panel when it refused to respond to his commands.

This had to be one of Breach's little worlds, that was the only reason why he couldn't find the boy. She had managed to make an exact replica of the Providence base, down to the personnel who worked in it. It struck a fearful cord in the agent, if that was the case then Breach's power was getting stronger.

The deranged little girl must have attacked them during a mission and separated them. Van Kleiss had then wounded him to make him further disorientated in the girl's insane world. It all made sense that way.

Cool hands landed on his shoulders and he grabbed the soft hands. He pulled his assailant over the chair and was surprised to see it was a woman. Her knee connected against his side and he hissed in pain. The woman's feline like eyes were wide with concern but she didn't make any attempts to extricate herself. She offered him a weak smile.

"Hi," she said softly, "Um...it won't work. We have a damper field surrounding the launch pad to stop you taking off and plus you ordered your jump jet to have it's mainframe checked out so the control processor has been taken out."

"Remove it," Six ordered the woman, "and take me to a jet that's working."

The woman felt familiar but that was simply a trick he decided. Van Kleiss was using people he may know to fool him into lowering his guard. Six found himself staring at her but he pushed the feeling down. He didn't have time to be distracted. Who knew what Van Kleiss was doing to the boy? He couldn't leave the boy in the EVO's hands.

"I can't," the woman held his hands in her own, "Why don't we just take a moment to think about what's going on huh?"

She sounded so reasonable, like the real Doctor Holiday. She moved her weight so it wasn't pressing down on his torso. Doctor Holiday straddled him, her skirt riding up her thighs, she had to distract him long enough to inject the sedative into him but he was so alert. She had to distract him by the only means she had at her disposal.

"You're looking for someone right?" she breathed, she could feel the hungry looks the agent was giving her.

She couldn't help but stare into his eyes for a moment, her friend's eyes were finally free from the shades that he normally wore. Chocolate brown eyes drank her form in, Holiday could see the confusion in them as well.

"The boy, Rex," Six answered as he removed his hands from the woman in his lap.

Holiday nodded and inched herself closer. She was in an awkward position but she regained Six's hands and placed them on her hips. Her heart went out to the agent, he was confused because of the toxins and fever. He didn't recognise his own allies or even where he was.

"If I told you he was safe?" Holiday leaned forward, her lips just mere millimetres away from Six's, "Rex is waiting for you in the med bay. How bout we both go and see him huh?"

"Why would I believe you?" Six whispered, "You work for Van Kleiss."

Holiday smiled softly, "If I did, would I really be sitting on your lap?"

She brushed his fevered brow with her hand, fighting back the sigh she felt sticking in her chest. He was burning but he reacted to Holiday the way she knew he would. He may be sick but he was still male after all.

The agent tilted his head up, his lips barely brushing against Holiday's. He felt safe with the woman, she felt like she belonged to him and him alone and he belonged to her and her alone. Six moved his hand up her side, feeling the curves underneath the warm mustard top she was wearing. The woman moaned softly in annoyance but didn't remove his hand, she held it and slipped it under her top.

Her skin was soft and warm, Six's breath caught in his throat as Holiday captured his lips. He pulled her closer to him, it felt so right. Holiday moaned in pleasure as she felt the agent's hand slid to the bottom of her back. She slipped her hand under his t-shirt and ignored with difficulty how hot he was. His fever hadn't broke yet and he wasn't making it easier by exerting himself.

She could feel how hungry he was for her as he almost painfully crushed her against him. His kiss was desperate and eager, craving her. It would have been easy for Holiday to let herself go the same way as the agent, to let her passion get the better of her.

_It would be so wrong, _she thought as one of Six's hands snaked into her hair, _god...he keeps this up then I really will lose myself._

Holiday's body seemed to work against her as her hips rocked against Six's. She wanted more, she could feel the agent wanting more as well. Holiday pushed herself on him, biting the agent's lower lip and smiling when he moaned in response.

Six pushed her back, breaking the kiss when the woman's hand brushed against his aching side as it travelled down the his waist, shaking his head. His jaw set in a anger. He panted for breath as he held her against the console. Holiday had to act surprised, she slipped the syringe she had injected him with back into her pocket and counted down the minutes before Six fell unconscious.

"This won't work Van Kleiss," he said into the air, "This isn't Providence and that is not Doctor Holiday."

Holiday held back a sad sigh, she closed her eyes for a moment. Six's ill mind had managed to concoct a what seemed like a feasible explanation to him. Rex had filled her in on the details as to what was going on in the man's mind.

"Six..." Holiday swallowed a lump in her throat, "you're sick. You're in Providence."

The ninja looked surprised as he pushed Holiday off him, "What did you inject with me?"

"Sedative," Holiday answered truthfully, "Six, think about what you're doing. You're exhausted, you have a high fever and you were poisoned by an EVO in the Petting Zoo. We had you resting in the med bay after you collapsed. "

The agent stopped as he looked at the woman, he frowned as he took the information. Could that be true? Could this really be a deliriously fever fuelled figment of his imagination? He stood up in the cockpit, standing close to Holiday.

"You're lyingto me," Six slurred slightly as the sedative worked it's way through his system.

Holiday shook her head, "No, I'm not. What would I gain for doing that?"

Six turned away from her and staggered down the jump jet aisle, he spotted a squad of agents taking position in the hanger bay. He blinked to try and clear his vision but nothing seemed to help. He would rescue Rex and if he had to take down these clones then so be it.

"Six," Callan's friendly voice sounded concerned as he stepped forward from the large group, "Stand down. We don't wanna hurt you."

A smile curved Six's lips, hurt? He shook his head mentally, he wasn't going to be hurt. Van Kleiss should have realised that nothing would stop him. He was one of the deadliest humans on the face of the earth.

Six walked down the ramp, eyeing every agent standing. He saw a few of them shift uncomfortably under his gaze. Grunts in the back row exchanged glances before lifting up their weapons. Callan held his hands out, he offered the agent a smile.

"Come on," Callan drawled, "how bout ya take the doc's advice and head off to bed? Ain't noway that you could take us all down."

Six tilted his head to the side, granted, not all of them but he could take a large number of them out. The agent nodded softly before taking another step down the ramp. It wasn't going to be easy but stopped when he reached the bottom. Holiday followed him and stepped in front of him, holding out her arms.

"Six! Listen to us!" Holiday ordered. "We're not wanting to fight. Rex is okay!"

"Doctor Holiday is right," Callan walked forward slowly, he still kept his hands out, showing that he was no threat, "Kid's just waiting for you."

Six raised an eyebrow, he extended his arm and motioned for Callan and the grunts to attack. The grunts looked at each other, not one of them wanting to make the first move but they didn't have much choice.

The agent was still fast, even in his weakened state. Three agents were knocked flat out in the space of seconds. Callan suffered a kick to his knee and an elbow to his mid section before a blow to the head knocked him out.

Four agents tried a box attempt, surrounding Six as he dealt with the now unconscious captain. They didn't get a chance to fire their tranquillizer gun before each agent was roughly smacked over the head with another weapon and an overpowered fifth agent hurled in their direction.

Holiday took the chance to grab a tranq gun and aimed it at her friend, she set her jaw. She would never forgive herself but Six was going all out on attacking allies. The sedative she had already injected him with wasn't working.

She fired the gun, the dart landing in his shoulder. Six span round and stared at the doctor, disbelief clear in unshielded eyes. He took a step forward to her, stumbling to his knees.

"...I knewyou...werelying..." Six mumbled as he fell to the deck.

Holiday closed her eyes, calming herself. Those slurred words hurt. She hadn't lied but she couldn't very well let him take down half the staff. She raced to Six's side, checking his breathing. It was rapid and laboured, this time, she would strap him to the bed.

"Everyone...awrite?" Callan offered as he got to his knees.

Various responses filled the air as Callan looked over to Holiday and the prone form of Six. He always had a feeling that the agent was tough as sin but hell, he didn't expect the ninja man to take out half his team delirious.


	5. i'm sorry

not happy with this or the last chapter...i'm going to redo them i think...but thatnk's all for reading =) really means alot =)

**Four days later...**

Holiday sat in the observation wing of the isolation ward. Her cheeks stained with tears as she watched her friend sleep of the effects of the sedative and the poison. It had been days since she had tranquillized the agent for his own protection for the first time.

Empty cups of coffee were scattered around her and she wondered who had left the most recent of them. She took a grateful sip of the lukewarm liquid and guessed that it must have been one of the other medical officers. A sandwich had sat next to it but she wasn't hungry. How could she eat when Six was lying strapped down?

Rex had tried to coax her into eating but she had refused point blank. He had left everything from cakes to burgers to rolls for her to nibble on but she hadn't touched them. Bobo had even tried his own unique brand of helping and comfort but she wasn't in the mood to pick out the monkey hairs in her food.

Holiday couldn't get rid of the feeling that she had when she had injected Six on the jump jet. She rarely used her feminine charms to get what she wanted but it had been the only way to sedate the agent without actually restraining him. It was the look of surprise and hurt that had been in normally hidden eyes that stung at her even now. Six had responded how she wanted but she felt so cheap for using such tricks.

She shifted her weight in the chair, allowing the growing cramp in her back to ease off. Knight had been surprisingly reasonable as his second in command was feverish and spouting all sorts of charming insults at the man. The normally quiet agent had managed to find his voice and every insult in the book had been thrown at Knight.

The words Six had said to her on the jump jet's ramp still span round in her mind, she hadn't lied. Six was a danger to himself, he was burning up and aggravating wounds that would only cause more harm. She had tried to help him but he was only going to hurt himself if they allowed him to carry on with what he was doing. She had been surprised to see just how responsive the agent had been to her when they had been in the jump jet.

She could still feel his lips on hers, the softness of his hands searching and roaming over her body as they pushed closer together. It had been a rough kiss, not elegant or anything like she had expected to get from him in her fantasises. This had been raw, desperate and eager, almost as if Six was starved of any real affection from anyone.

How far would they have went if she hadn't injected him? Holiday fiddled with an errant lock of hair, her heart quickening as improper thoughts knocked politely in her mind. She had seen the agent near enough naked, vulnerable and he still managed to look sexy but on the jet...he looked different, his chocolate eyes drinking in her form.

Did he think he was someone else then? Was that the only reason for the kiss? That she wasn't Holiday and that he could allow his frustration to show in the kiss?

Holiday sighed, fighting back a tired yawn. The past few days had been interesting, the agent had went through a wide range of emotions and had tried every trick in the book to try and escape. It had ranged from seduction of her to bribery of White Knight.

She had tried to talk to him after the last seduction had failed but all she had been faced with was silence. Dark eyes had glared at her every time she went near him, it broke her heart. This was not her friend, not the man she cared about but at the same time, it was. People who knew the agent and who the agent trusted had been treated the same way, the man still believing that he was being held in a fake Providence and that Van Kleiss was operating everything from behind the scenes.

Holiday stretched her arms above her head, the fever Six had was still holding but he was sedated and strapped down quite firmly to the bed in the large room. A lone I.V stand held a bag of fluids stood next to it, the room was bare apart from the stand and the bed. Rex was sitting next to the bed, the teen hadn't left the room since they had forced the agent into it.

She herself had a few bruises from trying to sedate the agent, her back throbbed and she gently rubbed a bruise on her cheek. A medic had been shoved into her when Six had last tried to escape, the poor girl had been shaken but alright.

The kiss they had shared in the jump jet still plagued her mind, it had been passionate and desperate. What had the man been thinking when they had kissed? It niggled at her that the agent could have thought he was kissing someone else. Holiday chewed on her lip as she gazed into the room, Rex had gotten to his feet and had gave her a small wave.

Holiday waved back at him, the teen looked exhausted as well. His normally tanned skin pale and his dark eyes looked even darker than normal. She would need to give him a check up, Six had taken most of his delirious aggression out on the boy and Rex had taken it.

_He's sick, _Rex's words filled her mind, _he doesn't really know what he's doing. I know his moves so I kinda stand a chance against him._

Holiday wondered what the agent would think once he was back to normal. Would he be remorseful or embarrassed? Would he even acknowledge what had happened and try to brush it off? What would he say about kissing her?

The vaccine for the poison was being pushed through his system as he slept, she was pretty sure that it would cause the fever to finally break and restore the agent back to himself. The bruises and cracked bones he had managed to collect during the past few weeks were finally healing nicely but the doctor was still worried about the wound on Six's side from the tiger EVO.

It had turned into a really ugly looking bruise, one that would look worse for the next few days and no doubt be incredibly tender to the touch. Her main concern was making sure that it didn't become infected but the antibiotics would take care of that. Six should have came to her, not self medicating himself because he would only pick the things that would affect his ability to work. She would have been discreet in giving him medical attention but she had been so focused on trying to get him to notice her that she had ignored him.

_I am so sorry, _she thought, _I really should have noticed. What kind of a friend am I? Rex even knew before me that something was wrong._

"How is he?" White Knight appeared on one of the monitors behind her, the man looking concerned for once.

"...still resting," Holiday turned round, "Rex is still in with him."

"I have to admit, I'm impressed that the kid's plan actually worked," Knight admitted sourly to the doctor, "even more so when Six actually went with him."

Holiday smiled softly, "As much as they don't want to admit to it, they are incredibly alike. Six had the overpowering need to make sure Rex was okay, to prevent him being harmed by Van Kleiss."

Knight nodded, his hand moving to a second monitor in the room he was in. Holiday had a feeling that the man was probably just checking on the isolation room as well. The man sighed, his broad jaw twitching as he thought about what to say next.

"Is the vaccine working? Do I need to start looking for another second in command?" Knight knew how the words sounded, he wasn't thrilled about saying them but he had to be realistic.

"I'm not sure," Holiday admitted, "It seems to be. He's been sleeping for the past couple of days since his last...outburst, he looks...slightly better according to Rex. I'm just going to check his temperature, I'll let you know."

She closed the monitor that had Knight on it, not exactly happy about how the man had even thought about getting another second in command. Six would be ok, the man was too stubborn to let a poison get the better of him.

**Isolation room...three hours later...**

The world was bright and incredibly white. His mouth was dry and felt like he had been sucking on sand for at least a week. He attempted to sit up but his arms were pinned down at his sides. He blinked, clearing his vision of tears that had formed because of the brightness.

Why was he strapped down? He took another look around the room he was in. It was one of the isolation rooms, that was unusual. He had never once been a guest in them, not even when the building was being rebuilt after Van Kleiss had rammed the Keep into it. There was a window high up on the wall and he could just about make out a slouched over form in a chair through the pane of glass.

His wrists were bound in place and he could feel the leather padded strap sitting snugly against his chest. It didn't take long to figure out that his ankles were bound as well. Six raised an eyebrow, clearly whoever had strapped him down hadn't realised that he was adept at escaping. He had been raised to survive.

The agent made a movement but found that his body refused to actually work. The small action he had gave seemed to have drained him of his strength, nausea filled his stomach and his head thumped when he turned it slightly to where the door was.

Six took a second to wonder why he wasn't in his suit but he could smell the sickly sweet scent of sweat and sickness in the air. His mind simply came up with nothing as to why he was strapped down. His body ached, his torso and abdomen more than any part of his body.

He wasn't alone in the room anyhow, he could hear someone breathing and he could just see the tip of a head of spikey dark hair down by the side of the bed. Six frowned, he had a feeling that attached to the head of hair would be the boy. Were they both in the room for some reason?

If they were in the isolation room, then had they been quarantined? If so, then why wasn't Rex strapped down on a bed? Six cleared his throat only for it to feel three sizes to small, suddenly desperate for a drink to rid himself of the dryness in his mouth.

A small amount of panic raced through him, had he turned EVO? Had he harmed anyone whilst being an EVO if he had? He quickly dismissed the idea though, if he had turned EVO, he doubted he'd be lucky enough to be curable.

He could see a drip taped to his arm, a clear liquid being fed through the tube and into a large needle stuck into him. A cool liquid was being sent from an IV bag just out of his vision through the length of tubing.

_Why am I tied down? _Six thought _and where are my shades and my clothes?_

A cold shiver ran down his body and he could swear he could smell himself. How long had he been tied down? He flexed his fingers, trying to reach the buckle at his wrists and failing. He raised an eyebrow and wondered why it slightly hurt.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened. He remembered the continuous missions Knight had him and Rex doing almost continuously, he could just about recall Holiday telling him to take it easy and Rex being Rex. Everything after that was a bit of a fuzzy blur.

Something about Holiday niggled at him, words she had said just floating to the surface before disappearing again like wisps of her delicate perfume. He shook his head and cleared his throat, his body now wanting to eject his lungs.

He heard a surprised grunt of someone waking up and the black head of hair jerked up. The familiar sight of googles told him it was Rex who had been at his side, the Latino teen getting to his feet and offering a tired but wary smile.

"Hey Six," Rex fought back a yawn, "How you feeling?"

"Why am I strapped down?" the agent asked, he was slightly put out by not having his memories fully clicking together.

"Who am I?" the teen ignored the question by returning one of his own.

"Rex..." Six frowned.

"Where are you?" the teen crossed his arms before sparing the slouched figure at the window a look.

_Where am I? _Six sighed, "In Providence, isolation for some reason. Why? What happened?"

Rex looked up to the window again before returning his dark eyes to Six, "You...don't remember?"

"If I did, I wouldn't have asked," Six retorted, his normal patience lost.

"You uh, lost it for a bit," Rex fiddled with his thumb, not really wanting to look at the agent.

"Lost it?" Six looked at the window Rex had glanced at, had he turned EVO then?

The teen shook his head, "Nothing major. You just thought that Van Kleiss had me hostage, tried to rescue me even though you bitch slapped me then managed to get down to the hanger bay before you kicked Callan and co's asses. Heard you even told White where to go too."

Is that what Rex called nothing major? Six's heart sunk to the bottom of his stomach. That didn't sound like him but it would explain why he felt like he had went a few rounds with the now EVO Weaver. Rex's words bounced like an echo in his head, _'before you bitched slapped me...kicked Callan and co's asses.'_

"Man, I wish I had been there for that..." Rex smiled darkly as his dark eyes drifted upwards, "You calling Knight all the names under the sun. Callan had actually never heard of some of them."

Had he really attacked his allies? Had he harmed anyone else? His jaw flinched and Rex caught it, the teen taking a breath and giving him a rueful smile. The teen's face had humour but there was still a touch of concern.

"Everyone's okay. Callan's drilling his team harder because you wiped the floor with them even while you were being sick," Rex positioned himself on the edge of the bed, "Holiday's been looking out for ya since she tied you down. She feels horrible about it."

Six narrowed his eyes, why would she feel horrible about it? If he had been attacking his fellow Providence members then it was the only thing for it. However, it was Holiday, the woman was too caring for her own good at times. He knew that she would be tearing her heart out about having to restrain a friend.

_But she wouldn't be Holiday if she didn't care or feel things, _Six tugged on his restraints, giving Rex a querying look.

"You promise not to go all aggro psycho ninja and beat me over the head?" Rex asked warily as he turned slightly, "You've did that at least twice three days ago."

Rex rubbed the back of his head, wincing as he prodded a still tender spot on it. Six had managed to fool at least three medical staff, Doctor Holiday and the teen before they realised that he had still been a threat to himself. Knight had even popped down from his office to check on the ninja.

Six's angular jaw dropped slightly open, his eyes went wide for a moment. He had attacked Rex? He tore his gaze from the teen, ashamed. He had swore to protect the teen and he had ended up harming him. Rex laughed, trying to elevate the tension in the room.

"Yeah...I think I preferred you nicking my energy drinks," Rex stated as he caught the brief look of horror on Six's face.

That clicked a memory in Six's mind, he had taken two from the teen because he had been tired of drinking coffee. He stared at his feet, something else was just out of reach from his memory.

"I was...poisoned," Six said slowly and he was surprised when a relieved breath rushed out of the teen.

Holiday had told him what he could relay to the man in the isolation room and what he couldn't. He could tell that he had been sick, that he had been strapped down for his own safety and had gotten involved with Callan and his team in a fight. He hadn't been allowed to tell that he had attacked Knight three days ago and was really being vocal in his displeasure of the man but Rex figured that the agent would probably like a head start on trying to at least feign an apology to the head of Providence.

Six stared at him from his prone position, an eyebrow was cocked in that way he did when he was curious, confused or slightly amused by something Rex had said. Dark eyes seemed to look the picture of sanity and Rex was fairly convinced that the man was himself again.

"I'm probably going to get an earful from Knight and Holiday but I think you should at least have a heads up," Rex scratched his chest absently before he began to unstrap the agent, "You know, start forming up some kind of heartfelt apology that Knight will believe."

**Three days previously...**

The agent stalked the room like a caged tiger, thumping the door with his fists. He was furious, his eyes bore daggers at the man standing behind the heavily reinforced door. His lips curled in a snarl, so the mad EVO was using the image of White Knight to try and gain his trust was he?

Van Kleiss obviously didn't know the strenuous and often fraught friendship the two men now had. Six had never truly forgave Knight for trying to destroy Rex when Providence was still in it's infancy.

"Tell me," Six growled dangerously, "Do you really think that this room will keep you bastards safe? That that damn armour will protect you? I'm going to rip your fucking spine from your body and beat you over the damn head with it."

White Knight raised an eyebrow, this wasn't his friend. The poison in Six's system was stronger than anyone thought, Holiday was searching through the antitoxins. The doctor in the process of getting the antidote for the agent, however it was proving to be a slow process. Knight had been tempted to go into the room and have an all out brawl with Six in an attempt to shut him up.

The EVO tiger that had attacked Six had been a recent addition to the Petting Zoo, it hadn't been properly catalogued due to the onslaught of missions that had kept everyone busy. The creature had been dealt with, the toxin gathered so it was now a waiting game. Doctor Holiday had no problem in destroying the creature once they had the venom, something that had surprised him.

Knight was impressed at the stamina his former partner had, the poison would have killed most normal men from what the doctor had informed. It would have left them gibbering messes but Six was proving difficult. When he had first woke, he had tricked the poor medic assigned to help him and had broken the man's arm. Six was a master of escape and had managed to get himself back to the hanger bay before Rex had intercepted him.

The head of Providence would now need to explain the need for new doors and three new jump jets that were now required to the board of directors. Captain Callan and his team had avoided head on combat with the man and had ordered a stun tactic that had ended up with Six adding to his collection of fast growing bruises.

Six slammed on the door with his shoulder, "Let me go."

"You aren't well," Knight stated calmly, "You were..."

"Poisoned by some EVO, this is all in my mind," Six drawled in frustration, "How many times do I need to hear that? I don't believe you."

"You're my partner," Knight stated calmly, "I would not lie to you Six. You were poisoned, you have been placed here for your own protection."

"For my own protection? You've taken me hostage, along with the boy," Six stated with forced calm, "What does Van Kleiss want with Rex this time?"

Knight raised a white eyebrow, it was clear that the agent was paranoid and delusional. His skin was almost grey, dark circles under normally hidden eyes made it look like Six had black eyes. His skin was slick with sweat. If Knight didn't know better, he would think Six was a walking corpse. His friend swayed as he tried to stand still in the room.

Every hour meant the agent was getting weaker but he refused to take it easy and be treated. He hadn't ate and he wasn't drinking, the man thinking that he was going to be sedated that way. The man had been vile to anyone within earshot, ranging from being as sweet as chocolate to repulsive. Knight had been the target on more than one occasion and there was only so much that he was going to allow before he punched the agent's clock for him.

"Look, Phil," Six leaned against the door, "What would it take for you to let me go? Wouldn't be your fault. Just say I overpowered you and let Rex go. I have a secret account that White Knight doesn't know about, it could be a very big pay day for you. Probably a lot more than what Van Kleiss is actually paying you."

That made Knight's eyebrows almost crash against the top of his white helmet. How the hell did Six manage to do that? The agent was actually attempting to bribe him with his own money! He had worked with the man for years and still knew next to nothing about him. It bothered him that Rex knew more about his partner than he did and he had known the agent far longer than the Latino.

Knight regarded that option of Six overpowering him. The man seriously didn't think that he would allow that surely? The head of Providence wore a specially created armour, there was no way that the man could take him on. Doctor Holiday had stated that the agent would not be himself and he would try every trick in the book to escape. He was still under the illusion that he wasn't in Providence Headquarters and that Van Kleiss was holding Rex hostage.

They had had to place guards above and below the cell Six was in just in case the man managed the impossible. Callan had beefed up security, not one agent willing to stand watch though. It had fallen to Rex, Holiday and Knight.

He heard the familiar footsteps of Rex walking up to the door, the teenager looking at the door. Dark eyes staring through the white door to his partner. He wasn't sure as to why the boy had taken the need to come down almost every single hour, his eyes staring through him as he came closer.

"Let me talk to him," Rex asked softly, "He might respond better."

Knight sighed, he knew it wouldn't hurt but at the same time, Six wasn't an idiot. The leader of Providence had seen the security recording of the agent leaving the medbay and was surprised at how easily he had taken out Rex. He was even more surprised when he took out Callan and his team with a sedative pumping throughout his body.

"Fine," Knight took a step back, "Be my guest."

"Hey Six," Rex tapped on the door, "It's me."

"Ha..." Six raised an eyebrow, "Right, you must think I'm a complete idiot. You aren't Rex."

Rex groaned inwardly, "Damn, you got me. Ok, I'm not Rex, I'm way too good looking for him."

_How long is this going to go on for? _Rex leaned against the door, "Don't you think it's a little strange that Van Kleiss hasn't shown his face down here yet to gloat? You know, laugh and toss his hair around like he was in a shampoo advert?"

Six snorted, "Not really. He's just trying to keep me confused."

Rex nodded slowly, "Have you actually just thought that...perhaps...just perhaps you are sick? You know, just as a tiny little possibility?"

"I should have killed you when I had the chance," the man in the cell growled, "You aren't..."

The EVO teen growled back in frustration, "Fine, here's another question. Why hasn't anyone from Providence came to help you? Huh? Why haven't you been able to escape? Why hasn't Breach shown her face? Why would Van Kleiss make some poor guy White Knight? You can't fake Holiday's caring side. Why? Okay? Why would we actually be taking the time to cure you if we were the bad guys?"

Those questions caused Six to blink, dark eyes searched the door for answers only to come up blank. Why hadn't Providence came to the rescue? He rubbed his face tiredly, a weary sigh rushing from his lips. He took a breath before returning his gaze back to Rex. The boy had a very convincing argument going but that could have been part of the ploy.

He turned his back on the male pretending to be Rex, "Because I'm trapped in one of Breach's worlds."

Rex slammed the wall with his fist, "You're not stupid Six. Just think about it."

The EVO teen turned away from Six as well, he stopped as he looked at Knight. He had just gave himself an idea and he was surprised that he hadn't thought of it sooner actually. If the agent really believed that he was being held hostage, then perhaps it was time to mount a rescue.

"Knight...I have an idea..." the teen lowered his voice, "Here's what I think we should do..."


End file.
